Never Too Late
by EvilMicella
Summary: What if there was another curse in the Sohma's? One that would eventually kill? And what if it only effected Yuki? Will the Sohma's be able to break this curse, or will Yuki's end be sooner then he had planned..Yukiru
1. He Wasn't

**Never Too Late**

-

**Chapter 1: He Wasn't**

-

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, Tokyopop would already have all the Volumes out in America, and update them monthly. Not once every 2 months. Boy, I'll tell you, I sure can't wait to get the 7th volume! Ahahaha! Crap, I'm rambling. Anyways, to make things short, Natsuki Takayaowner; Me wannabe owner; Storyline a very weird idea I came up with.

Enjoy!

-

All was quiet around the old-fashioned Japanese house. Birds were chirping, and the sun was just rising for another bright day. That is, until –

**"Get out of the bathroom, you stupid dog!"** Kyo yelled, banging his fists against the door.

"Now, now, Kyo, I'm almost done. Be patient!" Shigure said cheerfully.

"You said that an hour ago!" Kyo yelled, now banging his fist so hard against the door that it made a slight indent. At the same time, the door down the hall opened, and Yuki came out, stumbling every few steps; the morning was always hard on him. He could barely see where he was going, and everything around him was only heard as a soft mumble. Walking straight pass Kyo, who stopped yelling for a moment to give him a weird look, Yuki headed towards the kitchen where Tohru was making breakfast.

"Good morning, Honda-san," Yuki said with a yawn as he sat down at the table.

"Ah! Good morning, Yuki-kun!" Tohru said, smiling. "Is Shigure-san still in the bathroom?" Yuki nodded. "I need to tell him that Hatori-san called earlier."

_'Hatori called?' _Yuki thought_. 'That's odd. Shigure's usually the one who calls him, not the other way around…'_

"Did I hear that Haa-san called?" Shigure asked, coming from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his shoulders. "What a pleasant surprise! I must call him back!" With that, Shigure rushed towards the phone.

A few minutes passed when…

"Damnit, Shigure!" Kyo yelled from the bathroom. The door flung opened and he came into the kitchen. "There's no warm water left!" Getting no response, he was about to go find Shigure, but stopped when he came into the room. It wasn't that Kyo was surprised at his sudden appearance, but the serious look the dog's face had stopped him in his tracks. Shigure beckoned Yuki into the hallway.

"What's wrong?" Yuki asked as they were out of ear shot. He was slightly anxious; what could have happened to make Shigure look so serious…

"Hatori told me that Akito…" Shigure said, staring straight at the younger boy, "wants to see you today."

"But…but why? What does he want with me?" Yuki asked, his voice slightly shaking. He had been trying so hard to avoid Akito, but now that he wanted to see him…

"Hatori didn't say why exactly," Shigure said with a sullen expression. "Though, he did say it was important. In fact, it seems that it's so important that he wants to see you now." Yuki stared at the floor, trying to clear his mind. No one in their right mind would want to see Akito; it's just that he was so cruel and cold. However, you really had no choice if he ordered you to come. The only thing Yuki could do was nod to Shigure and walk towards the front door.

"Don't worry about it too much, Yuki-kun!" Shigure said, regaining his cheerful voice. "I'm sure it's nothing bad! You'll be back before you know it!" Yuki nodded, though he didn't really believe him.

Shigure walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table. He looked up from his breakfast to see both Tohru and Kyo staring at him.

"What?" he asked, scratching his head and yawning.

"Is everything alright?' Tohru asked, a trace of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, where's the rat?" Kyo asked, looking past Shigure to see if he could see Yuki.

"Oh, he had to go do something real quick," Shigure shrugged while returning to his meal. "He should be back soon. Why, Kyo? Are you worried that your precious Yuki is in danger?"

"**WHAT? NO WAY, YOU PERVERT**!" Kyo yelled. He threw his chopsticks on the table, stomped up to his room, and slammed the door shut.

-

Yuki was now outside of the gates to the Main House, the wind blowing through his hair. It gave him an eerie feeling as he walked in the building.

_'Maybe if I sneak back out now, no one will know I ever came…'_ Yuki thought, turning around. _'Then I'll just run away and change my na-'_

"Yuki," an all too familiar voice broke him from his clever plan. Yuki cursed under his breathe and turned to see Hatori leaning against the wall, staring at him with his usual blank eyes. "Trying to sneak out…again?"

"Maybe I was," Yuki said, shrugging. "Not that it matters now, though."

"Well, I can't say I blame you," Hatori replied, standing upright. He started walking down the hall to where Akito's room was, and Yuki, having no other choice, followed.

"Why does Akito want to see me?" he asked. If anyone, Hatori should know what the reason was.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Hatori answered, turning a corner; getting closer and closer to Akito's room… "He said it shouldn't be long, however. I wouldn't get too worked up about it." They stopped in front of the last door of the hallway, and Hatori lightly knocked on it.

"Enter," a cold voice replied, sending shivers down Yuki's back. Hatori opened the door for Yuki to head in, while then entering himself. They kneeled in the middle of the floor where the small mats were already placed. Akito was standing by the window, hanging his hand out as if to reach for something. He hardly acknowledged Yuki and Hatori's presence at first, but he then pulled his hand back in and sat against the back wall. Yuki could feel Akito's black, emotionless eyes staring right at him, but he didn't dare look up from the floor.

"Well, I'm glad you actually came, Yuki," Akito finally spoke. His voice revealed that he was a bit tired and worn out, yet it was also confidant. "I called you here so early and on such short notice. I'm afraid, however, that this is much too important to wait any longer."

All Yuki could do was pray for everything to be over. He wanted to get home and do something that didn't make him feel uneasy. Like going to his secret base with Tohru, or even having a fight with the stupid cat rather. Anything would be better then being at the Main House with Akito.

"You probably don't know about this…actually, you _shouldn't _know about it, since I, myself, just came upon this, shall we say, second curse," he sneered, laughing lightly to himself. At this statement, Yuki shot his head up from staring at the floor to staring straight at Akito; something he hadn't done in a long time. If this 'second curse' was anything like the Chinese Zodiac one, he was sure he didn't want to be told of it. It'll just end up to be another thing to hide from the world.

"Yes," Akito said, smirking right at the wide-eyed Yuki; he seemed to enjoy telling, what seemed like, bad news to people. "I was looking through information about all the old members of the Zodiac. Those cursed before you, and everyone else, were even born. I found out something very interesting about those cursed with the Year of the Rat."

Akito stood up and started walking back and forth across the room. Not as if he was nervous, but as if he were about to enjoy what he was going to say next. You could tell that truly was the case.

"Every 5 generations of the rats all have something in common," Akito said. "Do you know what that is, Yuki?" Yuki could tell that this question was meant to be answered, and not ignored like most of them already were. Instead of speaking, though, all Yuki did was shake his head. He didn't know anything about what Akito had just said, but he was quite sure he didn't really want to.

"No," Akito said. "Of course you don't." He stopped pacing and returned to his spot on the floor. It seemed like he didn't know where to stay at to tell Yuki what he wanted to.

"I'll tell you straight forward," he finally said. "Every 5 generations of the rats become sick. Dreadfully sick, mind you. Sick enough that it can't even be cured, or at least, it hasn't been yet. You see, these selected rats start to slowly die. Starting at age 17, they last until the middle of their 18th year on this planet. Yes, such a horrible curse with such a sad unknown cure."

"From every rat, they start off just getting a minor cold. A stuffy nose; a sore throat; a bit of a cough. That lasts a week or so before each symptom they have gets worse. Soon their noses are running so badly, you'd need a box of Kleenex with you where ever you go. Then comes such a terrible cough and sore throat that you'd want to chop your own head off just to stop the pain. That's only the beginning, too." Akito stopped to look at the expression Yuki's face wore. He saw his wide eyes staring straight at him, fear hidden within. Akito looked past Yuki and at Hatori. His facial expression remained the same as it always had, yet Akito could tell he was worried about where this conversation would end up.

"Do you know why I'm telling you this Yuki?" Akito asked, laughing in his cold, uncaring voice. Before Yuki could answer, though, Akito quickly continued, "Because the next rat to get this deadly sickness…is _you_."

-

**Author's Note-** First chapter, DONE! (Boy, writing LATE at night sure does make my mind more creative and motivated!) Interesting, huh? Believe me; I have no clue where I got this idea from. It just popped in my head, and I thought, 'hey, this would be an interesting story!' And to make things better (in my opinion, muwahaha) there's gunna be a great pairing in the next chapter and so on! I won't say who, but if you look in my fav list, you'll be able to tell

Also, the genre may say angst/romance, but it is also a bit of humor. I mean, c'mon, if you write a Fruits Basket fanfic that's going to be more then a one-shot, then it'll at least turn out funny in the end somehow! Right? Teehee, me and my crazy ideas!

P.S the chapter name sounds weird, right? Let me explain. Other then the fact that I couldn't come up with a better name, **He Wasn't** means that he wasn't meant to die so young. Like, people in disbelief. Trust me, I'll come up with better names later, I promise. Plus, you'll learn about the title at the last chapter.

Please review, I'd really like to know what you think of this!


	2. They Can't Know

**Chapter 2: They Can't Know**

**-**

**"Do you know why I'm telling you this Yuki?" Akito asked while laughing in his cold, uncaring voice. Before Yuki could answer, though, Akito quickly continued, "Because the next rat to get this deadly sickness…is _you_." **

**-**

Yuki started feeling dizzy and confused. How could this even happen? Maybe Akito was just trying to mess with his mind and make him worry. Yuki heard Hatori shift in his kneeling position, and cleared his voice.

"Akito, are sure this is even true? Maybe it's just a coincidence?" Hatori said, speaking for the first time, though he didn't seem confident in what he said.

"It's a fairly precise coincidence, then," Akito replied in a bored voice. "I'm quite sure it will happen this time, as it has the last few centuries." He got up from his seating, and walked slowly towards Yuki. "Think of it this way, Yuki. You won't have to suffer the curse of the Sohma's much longer. Though, the way you'll be freed isn't exactly a comforting thought, I suppose." Akito was now standing right in from of Yuki, who made his way back to staring at the floor. However, Akito yanked his head up by his hair so Yuki was looking directly at him. Hatori started to get up to get Akito away, but stayed where he was when he was thrown a threatening look. He didn't want to make things worse.

"No one will care, you know," he whispered to the rat. "You're abnormal, just like the rest." He let go of Yuki, as if he was touching rotten trash.

"You're wrong," Yuki muttered. He knew he should just keep quiet, but what Akito said wasn't true…right? "Someone _would_ care."

"If you're talking about that Honda girl, don't think her sadness is specifically for you. She'd care if a thief, or even a murderer, had died. Sadly, she's just like that. You mean nothing special to her," Akito said coldly. He walked to the small porch and went to lie on his side. That was the signal for Yuki and Hatori to leave.

As soon as Hatori closed the sliding door, he turned to face Yuki. What they had both just learned would indeed take a toll on him. However,all Hatori could see were blank eyes, with no emotion; like Yuki wasn't even there at all. They slowly made their way to the main entrance, not saying a word to each other on the way.

"I'll give you a ride back, if you want," Hatori said after a few minutes, looking at Yuki again, hoping to get a response that way. The only one he got, though, was a single nod. Hatori sighed as they headed towards where his car was at.

_'This will defiantly not turn out very well,_' Hatori thought, _'for anyone.'_

-

Shigure sat down in his chair and stared at the computer screen. His editor had asked him to have his story done by the end to the week, but he was no where near complete. He leaned back in the chair and started to stare around his room.

'Hmm, I should clean up a bit,' he thought. Of course, he was purposely trying to get distracted from writing.

After 10 minutes of slow cleaning (more so, shoving things in his closet), Shigure heard the front door slide open, and then slide closed.

'Yuki must be back,' Shigure thought. He wondered whether he should go out and see what had happened, or stay in his room for just a bit. Nothing good ever came from a visit to the Main House with Akito, and Yuki might not want to say what happened. Before Shigure could make up his mind, there was a knock on his door. Without waiting for an answer, the door opened and Hatori came inside.

"Haa-san! What a pleasant surprise!" Shigure said gleefully. "Are you willingly here to pay the great Shigure Sohma a visit?"

"Cut the jokes for a second, I need to talk to you," Hatori replied, than added, "This is serious."

"What happened?" Shigure asked, actually obeying to Hatori's request for seriousness. Hatori took a deep breath and explained about the meeting…

-

Yuki went up to his room and collapsed in his bed. He hadn't really got it through his head about the whole meeting with Akito. Whether or not to believe him was more confusing then ever. If he was lying, Yuki would usually be able to tell, but now he wasn't so sure. As much as he disliked it, Akito was likely telling the truth.

There was then a soft knock on his door, waking him from his thoughts.

"Yes?" Yuki said, sitting up. He hoped it wasn't Hatori; he didn't want to speak to him about what happened...not now, at least. The door slid opened and Tohru appeared in theframe.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, staring at him with her worried eyes. Yuki placed on a fake, reassuring smile.

"Yes, everything's fine, Honda-san," he replied. Of course, the smile didn't fool Tohru, but she didn't want to press on. She nodded and gave him a small smile,

"Ok, Yuki-kun, but if something's wrong, you can always talk to me about it."

Yuki nodded, and, this time, truly smiled at her. When she left, Yuki let out a small sigh. He couldn't let her find out about his soon-to-be sickness; he didn't want her to worry. There was again another knock on his door, and he told whoever it was to come in. This time, however, it was Hatori, and Shigure. They were both looking at him with serious expressions. He didn't need to be told that Shigure already knew.

"No cold yet, if that's what you wanted to know," Yuki said, lying back in his bed.

"Well, not exactly, but that's still good either way," Shigure spoke, smiling a little. "Actually, Haa-san has a list for you to follow." Hatori handed Yuki the said list, and he read it aloud.

_1. Get at least 10 hours of sleep a night._

_2. Eathealthy foods; keeps you strong._

_3. No hard running or fighting (stay away from Kyo toachieve _this

_4. If temperature is high, stay in bed at all times _

Yuki paused at the 5th thing on the list. It looked like it was scribbled in at last minute. He looked up at Shigure and read,

"Number 5, write Shigure's newest book by the end of the week. Be sure to add..." Yuki gave a disgusted look, "…young, beautiful high school girls to make things interesting…"

Hatori took the list, looked at the last line, and smacked it against Shigure's head, who cowered in fear of being hit again; pretty much like the dog he is. Hatori then scratched out the end with his pen and handed it back to Yuki.

"Just be sure to follow those things," he said, crossing his arms. "I'll try to get Akito to say more about this, but in the meantime, take it easy and be cautious about anything you think might make things worse. Also, your breathing might be troubled, so you really need to watch out for that."

"Yeah, alright," Yuki said, setting the list on his side table. "Oh, by the way…I'd rather have no one know-"

"We won't tell," Hatori said before Yuki finished. "Not even Ayame, if you want. However, as time goes by, it'll show that you're getting sick. They'll figure it out sooner or later."

"I know," Yuki said, sighing. Suddenly, something seemed to have gotten caught in his throat and he began to cough uncontrollably. In an instant, Hatori, having his medical bag, got out Yuki's medicine, handed 2 pills to him, and watched as the younger boy slowly swallowed them down. A few minutes later, the coughing started to cease and Yuki was able to regain control.

"Well," Shigure said, looking straight at Yuki. "Looks like its already starting."

-

It was a few hours since Hatori had left, and Shigure, Yuki, Tohru and Kyo were sitting down to eat dinner. No one talked and Tohru was getting worried that something might have been wrong. She understood why Kyo was a bit out of it; it was pouring rain outside. However, Yuki, and even Shigure, sat in total silence. As Tohru started to open her mouth to say something, Yuki spoke up first.

"Honda-san, do you know if we have anything important happening tomorrow?" he said, looking at Tohru with a smile. He saw that she looked worried a few minutes ago, and so he started conversation to lighten the mood.

"Huh…? Oh!" Tohru was startled with the sudden question, but it made her smile nonetheless. "Yes, we do! We'repreparing for the school festival for this year. It's this Saturday, you know! "

"Oh, yes, I forgot all about that," Yuki said, sighing, while coughing a little bit.

"Is something wrong, Yuki-kun? Are you feeling sick?" Tohru asked. Shigure took a glance at Yuki before turning back to his food. Yuki was unaware that he had turned pale, as well, so he smiled at Tohru and came up with something to say.

"I just hope I won't have to cross-dress this year," he said. "Maybe they'll get the stupid cat to do it instead."

"Shut up! I'd never wear a stupid dress! Besides, you're the only one who could pull it off; you look like a girl already!" Kyo shouted at Yuki, though his mouth was stuffed with food. He started to choke just a little bit.

"Idiot," Yuki muttered before turning his attention towards his own food.

"_WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?"_ Kyo shouted yet again, this time standing up.

"I called you an idiot," Yuki replied without glancing up at the cat, "and it shows."

"**YOU WANT A FIGHT, GIRLY MAN?"** Kyo got in fighting position when Shigure stood up abrupt idly.

"Not today, Kyon-Kyon, calm down," he said, taking his garbage and throwing it away.

"No way! That stupid rat needs a few good punches to his face!" Kyo stated angrily, cracking his knuckles.

"Kyo, I mean it, just let it be, alright?" Shigure said, sighing. Tohru noticed a bit of seriousness in his voice this time around. She wondered why Shigure was trying to stop the fight when he usually encourages them. Yuki stood up and started to walk out of the kitchen when Kyo started towards him, fist flying at his face. However, instead of wanting to fight back, Yuki quickly closed the sliding door behind him, causing Kyo to crash into it.

"DAMN RAT!" Kyo shouted at Yuki, who was no longer there. He got up from the ruined door, kicked it, and stormed outside. Shigure shook his head and Tohru heard him mutter,

"Yuki won't be able to stand this much longer." He was unaware that Tohru had overheard him, as he had started to clear the table of Yuki and Kyo's leftovers. Now she was worried about how Yuki and Shigure were acting. First, Shigure discourages the fight between the two boys with complete seriousness, and now he was actually helping clear the table. Then, Yuki didn't even want to fight with Kyo. Something was going on, and Tohru needed to know. She wanted to help with whatever was happening, because if it made the dog and rat act so differently, it had to be important…

-

**Author's Note: **Wow! Thanks for such the wonderful feedback, you guys! I didn't think I'd get 6 on just the first chapter! And I'll comment on reviews (a first for me ehehehe)

**MoMo- **Oooh, then you'll like later chapters, there's so much Kyo-ness, its (hopefully) hilarious!

**silverpheonix2- **I know what you mean with updates. I haven't done much since last July, but I'll try to keep updating regularly for this story!

**Animefreakkagome- **Indeed I shall, there will be (almost always) one update every 4-7 days! Maybe even sooner!

**Crimson-Eyed-Angel99- **He is such a target, isn't he? Poor little Sohma-kun! I'm sure things will get better :P

**Moonlit Maiden- **I'm glad you've gotten hooked! It's nice to have someone like what I wrote :D I'll try my best to get each chapter edited and looked over so it'll be perfect (..semi, at the least :D)

**S.B. Kisses- **I'm very glad you like! And I'm aiming for quick updates, too :D

Thanks** so much **to all for reviewing my first chapter! I really appreciate it!

hahaha, Shigure and his pervertedness!

I'd like to add that I have chapter 3 written and fully completed, and I'll transfer chapter 4 from my notebook to Microsoft as soon as I can! I'm going to keep this story going (unlike my, err, others). Please tell me what you think about this chapter pretty please with sugar on top and a cherry in the middle puppy dog eyes! …Shigure and his effects on my innocent mind… tsk


	3. And All He Saw Was Black

**Chapter 3: And All He Saw Was Black**

**Author's note: **I am pleased to announce a tiny bit of fluff will occur in this chapter! 'ABOUT TIME', you may be thinking, right? If not, I sure am lol. And boy, is this a long chapter!

And a thanks to _all_ my wonderful reviewers! Lots of nice things said, I really appreciate it! Can't individually say something to you cause 1.) I can't spell that well right now, and 2.) there's a long A/N at the end..don't want to waste your time :D

Sorry I couldn't get it up sooner, I had a crap load of homework last weekend… –sob-

**-**

Morning came up peacefully in the Sohma's house that day. Tohru was in the kitchen making breakfast when Yuki came stumbling in, unable to keep his eyes focused. He sat at the table and rested his head on his crossed arms. Not long after, Shigure came in humming about high school girls. Tohru hadn't seen Kyo since he stormed off the night before, and she was getting a little worried, but she knew he would be alright.

"Ah, another wonderful breakfast you have made, Tohru-kun!" Shigure said as Tohru handed him his plate. She put one in front of Yuki, though he was still resting, and she didn't have the heart to wake him. However, Shigure had no problem with doing so.

"Wake up Yuki-kun! Morning is here to greet you, the least you can do is greet it back!" he said cheerfully while poking Yuki in the shoulder. He slowly lifted his head and both Shigure and Tohru gasped. His face was as white as a sheet, though his nose was red.

"Yuki-kun, are you feeling alright?" Tohru finally spoke up. She put her hand on his forehead. Yuki blushed furiously, which really showed with his white skin. Shigure started to snicker but immediately stopped when a glass of water, cup and all, hit him in the face. "I think you might have a fever! You should stay home from school today!"

"No, I'm alright," Yuki said with a little cough. "I just didn't get much sleep, that's all."

"You know, I think Tohru-kun is right," Shigure piped in. "You don't want to get worse, _do you_?" He said the last two words with a stern voice, unlike what everyone else was use to hearing. Yuki threw Shigure an annoyed look, and got up from the table.

"I'm getting ready for school, it's not like I'm on my death bed," he muttered as he walked up the stairs. Shigure shook his head and muttered a few things, though not audible for Tohru to hear. She wasn't too sure they should be letting Yuki go to school in that kind of state.

"Shouldn't we-"

"He'll be fine," Shigure interrupted. He got up and went to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a box of aspirin. "Would you be able to watch out for him though? In case he pushes himself too much. You said the festival planning was today, and since he's the student counsel president, he'll have a lot to do."

"Yes, of course!" Tohru said, nodding. Without warning, the sliding door leading to the porch flew opened and Kyo stomped in.

"Kyo-kun, you're back!" Tohru said cheerfully. She only received a grumble from the cat as he took the toast off Shigure's plate and headed towards his room. Tohru blinked a few times before she started clearing off the empty plates at the table.

"GROSS, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" they heard Kyo shout. Shigure and Tohru ran to where it came from and saw Kyo fly down the stairs and into the wall. Yuki followed after in a more graceful way and headed towards the bathroom. Shigure started laughing at Kyo, who grumbled and clutched his head.

"Are you alright, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked worriedly as she went up next to him.

"I'm fine," he muttered, getting up. Everyone started to head back to what they were doing when Kyo spoke up again. "What's up with that rat, anyways? He looks like he's dying." Shigure stopped dead in his tracks, and stiffened up. Both Kyo and Tohru stared at him with confused looks at his sudden actions. Before they could take in the site anymore, he turned around with a smile plastered on his face.

"That's just silly, Kyon-Kyon!" he said, waving him off. "What a thing to say." He then laughed as he headed towards the kitchen. Tohru and Kyo gave each other confused looks before getting ready for school.

When they got back, Yuki was in the living room, stuffing his books into his bag. Tohru decided to help, considering he had a lot to carry. She noticed that he looked less pale, which was a good thing, but he still looked feverish. Just then, Shigure came in with the box of aspirin he had before and handed it to Yuki.

"Take two of these before you go," he said, and Yuki nodded. When he went into the kitchen, Shigure was right behind him.

"Take it easy, alright?" he said seriously. "We don't want you getting worse." He dropped the adult act and went back to normal. "Plus, I don't want Haa-san coming here to kill me for letting you go. He can really be hurtful." Shigure then pranced off and Yuki joined Tohru and Kyo on the way to school.

"Ok, now, move that booth over there; No, over _that_ way. Now, a little to the left…no, no, I said left, _left_." Yuki sighed as the booth a few of the students were setting up fell from their hands, far from where it should have been.

_'This is harder than I thought it would be,_' Yuki thought as he sat down to take a break. Everything was so hectic, he hardly had time to take a breather and he desperately needed one.

"Feeling ok, Yuki-kun?" a voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw Tohru standing there, smiling.

"Yes, I'm feeling fine, Honda-san," he said, returning the smile. He thought he saw her blush a little, but he shook it off.

"You've been busy, haven't you," she took a seat next to him.

"Yes," he sighed, looking around at the students trying to get everything set up right. "Luckily, it's only a once-a-year thing." Tohru nodded in agreement.

An awkward silence followed the conversation, but Tohru finally spoke up.

"Is something wrong?" she asked Yuki quietly, while looking at him. He looked back at her with surprise, but hid it immediately.

"No, no, of course not," he said with a voice unlike his own. He coughed and got his normal, calm voice back. "Why do you ask, Honda-san?"

"Well, you seem to be a little sick lately, and Shigure's even acting weird about it," she replied. Yuki was just staring at her, his expression unreadable, and it caused Tohru to start looking at the floor. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry; I just got worried. I'm really sorry." To her surprise, Yuki laughed. She looked up to find that Yuki's face was rather close to hers.

"It's alright, Honda-san," he smiled. "I should be apologizing for worrying you. It's just a slight cold. And Shigure …well, you never know what to expect from him." He leaned forward a little bit more, making Tohru blush a deep red, and whispered to her, "I'm lucky to have someone actually worry about me, but I assure you, I'm perfectly alright." Just when it seemed as if he was going to kiss her, Machi came up behind them and interrupted.

"Uh, Sohma-kun, we need your help on where to put one of the booths," she said in a quiet voice. Yuki pulled back and nodded at her.

"I'll see you later, Honda-san," he smiled and waved as he followed Machi, leaving a blushing Tohru. The last booth to be set up was in the corner, with students gathered around it, debating. Among them were Haru, Kyo, and Momiji.

"I think it should go over there!" Haru said, pointing to the other side of the room. "It fits in perfectly!"

"How the hell does a hat booth fit in with the games?" Kyo said, shaking his head in disbelief. "As if your sense of direction was bad enough..." Yuki walked up to the group, who immediately started asking for his advice.

"Yuki," Momiji whined, grabbing onto his sleeve. "We don't know where to put the hat booth!"

"I think my place idea would work out perfectly," Haru said calmly.

"Shut up, it's a stupid place!" Kyo shouted. "I think we should just keep it here; who wants to buy a stinkin' hat anyways?"

"Yuki-kun, where do you think the booth should go?" Minami added as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd.

"Well, the only good place to put it is by the school shirt one," Yuki said, nodding towards a booth that was a few feet away. There was an opening just big enough to fit it in.

"Great idea, Yuki-kun!" everyone, except Kyo, who started grumbling, agreed right after he finished his sentence.

"Let's start moving it over there, then!" Minami said. "I'll direct you all so you don't crash into anything!" Muttering, some of the students in the group, including Kyo and Haru, picked the booth up and started moving it to where Minami was directing it to.

"Sohma-kun, we need your help!" one of the members of the student counsel said from the other side of the room. Yuki sighed and walked over to help with whatever they needed help with.

**A Few Hours Later**

Yuki finished putting a shelf up in one of the booths. He wiped his forehead and started to cough; His cold seemed to be acting up again. Through out the day he's been ignoring his coughs and the headache he seemed to be getting. Now, however, he seemed to be getting worse, including his coughs. Yuki took a seat in the nearest chair and rubbed his temple. When he looked up, everything was blurry. Blinking didn't even make it go away, and all he saw was blurry outlines of people and objects.

"Hello Yuki-kun," a blurry figure appeared in front of him. If it wasn't for her voice, he wouldn't be able to figure out that it was Tohru. "Aren't you happy we only have an hour until school lets out? You can fully rest at home."

"Yes," Yuki said weakly; he didn't notice that he did, however. He started to stand, but he was too weak to keep himself up, causing him to fall back down. Suddenly, he couldn't even hear what Tohru was saying clearly. Before he knew it, he started feeling light-headed and everything went black.

**Author's note:** Long note, beware!

To start this off, I have to say that I **hate **Machi. I hate her with a deep passion. I want to strangle her with my bare hands. She is nothing but a disturbance.

Ok, I'm sorry to those who actually like her. Hey, maybe when I get to know about her character some more, I'll start to like her a little. I mean, I've only read up to Volume 6, and watched the anime (so forgive me if she's OOC). Though, my hatred for her is very reasonable, I assure you. If only she didn't get so close to Yuki grumbles!

And as of now, she's scheduled to appear again in my story. She only had a tiny, _tiny_ part in this chapter.

Well, I ended it with a cliffhanger, as you can see. What will happen, and will the others find out about Yuki's problem? Bwahaha, I'm evil.

_But wait!_ There's more! I don't know what to put in chapter 5 (Yes, yes, chapter 4 is complete)! **_OH NO_**! Wow, I'm very screwed..very..very..very, very screwed. Well, what do you guys want to see more of? Yukiru moments? Yuki's sickness? Or maybe something else? POLL TIME, YES! So please, tell me what you want see more of and I'll put it in chpt. 5!

Boy, all the sentence fragments I just made..haha did it again :D Please review, I'd really appreciate it!


	4. Falling Out of Plan

**Chapter 4: Falling Out of Plan**

**-**

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! I had two tests to study for, and I had no time to write! I'll try my hardest to update sooner! Oh, and I must warn you...well, I hope you don't mind Kyo's dirty little mouth :D!

* * *

Shigure sighed as he went around the house, dusting every little spot. This sudden outburst of cleanliness he obtained was due to the fact that he was no where near done with his book.

"Writer's block can be a real pain sometimes," he said to himself, slowly wiping the dust off the top of the refrigerator. Just then, the phone started ringing, and Shigure bounced over to answer.

"This is Shigure Sohma, the novelist who's pretty lazy at doing his own job!" he answered cheerfully. He was guessing that his editor was the one calling, but was shocked, and even embarrassed, when he heard a man's un-suicidal voice answer his own.

"Um, yes, this is Yutaka Hayashi, Principal of Kaibara Public High School," the man said, clearing his voice. "Yuki Sohma collapsed from, what seems like, exhaustion, and he's currently in the nurses" but before the principal could continue, Shigure was quick to answer,

"I'll be right over."

Shigure changed into better clothes and grabbed his jacket. He was upset at himself for letting Yuki go to school when he was so sick. Now he was unconscious in the nurses' room because of it.

_'To make matters even worse, Haa-san will be furious at me,'_ Shigure thought as he started to head towards the school.

* * *

"Is the prince alright?"

"I'm not sure, but I hope he is!"

"What happened anyways?"

"He was getting things ready for the festival and when he was sitting down, he just collapsed! That Honda girl was the one who got the nurse."

Yuki could hear so many voices that started to make him get an even bigger headache. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at his surroundings. Of course, he was still at school, in the nurses' room, lying on a small bed. Yuki started to sit up when he noticed he wasn't alone in the room.

"Yuki-kun, you shouldn't sit up!" Tohru was sitting right next to the bed, her face filled with worry. "Shigure-san will be here any minute so he can take you home to get rest!" The words slowly registered in his brain and he nodded while lying back down.

"How long have I been here?" Yuki asked, rubbing his head.

"Just half an hour," Tohru replied, feeling his forehead. "You still have a temperature! Maybe I should get the nurse"

"No, it's alright Honda-san, I'm feeling fine," Yuki assured her. Tohru looked at him with concern. After all the times he had said he was fine, he never was and now more then ever. And to think she was supposed to have watched over him to make sure he was alright.

"I'm sorry," Tohru said suddenly, making Yuki turn to her quickly in surprise. "You had so much to do, you got so exhausted. I was supposed to make sure you didn't get too over worked, and I failed at that. I'm terribly sorry; please forgive me for doing such a poor job."

All Yuki could do was stare at her with shocked eyes. If it wasn't such a serious subject, not to mention how upset she looked, he would have laughed. It was far from her fault, and besides, anyone could have been blamed for it, if that was even the problem at all.

"It's not your fault, Honda-san. I pushed myself too hard; you couldn't do anything about that," Yuki said, finally sitting up against the wall. Tohru looked as if she was going to protest against his action, but he continued to talk. "Nothing could ever be your fault. Besides, you'd never do anything bad on purpose; you're just too perfect."

Tohru blushed at his last statement and was unable to look at him to show how much he affected her. However, she felt Yuki's fingers going gently under her chin and making it so that they were at eye level. He started to bring her blushing face to his when…

The door suddenly opened and Shigure walked in, causing both Yuki and Tohru to pull away from each other. He looked at Yuki; Tohru could see that his eyes were filled with sadness. As if it was instinct, Tohru got up to leave so that they could talk.

"How do you feel?" Shigure asked after Tohru left. However, before he could answer, Yuki started to cough uncontrollably. "That bad, eh? Well, we'll take you home and have Haa-san come over to check up on you. And I think it's best if you don't go to school tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow? I'm feeling sick now; I might be better by tomorrow," Yuki said as he finished up his coughing. "Besides, it'll be a normal day anyways."

"It doesn't matter," Shigure simply said. "Now come on, we need to get you home; School's pretty much over." He added the last bit as Yuki opened his mouth to protest. And just when needed, the end-of-the-day school bell started to ring.

* * *

Shigure, Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo finally reached the house and as soon as they entered, Shigure went to call Hatori.

"Go lie down, Yuki," he said sternly when he saw that Yuki was heading into the kitchen.

"I feel fine," he repeated annoyingly. However, after receiving a glare from Shigure, he sighed and headed towards his room. Tohru watched him go up the stairs but she turned to Kyo, who started to speak.

"Don't you have a feeling that those two are hiding something from us?" Kyo asked, taking a small yawn; Tohru nodded sadly. Shigure came into the room with an impatient look on his face.

"He didn't answer," he replied with a sigh. He then looked at Tohru and Kyo with a huge grin. "Could you two do me a favor and go see if Haa-san's around the Main House?"

"Why can't you do it, you stupid dog?" Kyo asked angrily. Shigure pretended not to hear him and hummed as he turned the faucet on to block out any more sounds. Kyo's eye twitched as he got up, along with Tohru, to go get Hatori.

"Maybe Hatori-san knows something about all this," Tohru said as they walked towards the Main House. "Then he could tell us what's wrong, and we could help." Kyo shrugged and they walked in silence until they reached their destination. Kyo was the first one in and lead the way to Hatori's office. However, when they got there, the door was locked and there wasn't any light seeping through the crack at the bottom.

"Where the hell is he?" Kyo mumbled while rolling his eyes.

"Should we go by Akito-san's room? Maybe Hatori-san went there to check up on him? We could meet up with him," Tohru suggested, and they headed down another, somewhat eerie, hallway to Akito's room. Voices coming from the room proved that Hatori was indeed there, but it was what they were talking about that made Tohru, and even Kyo, stop to listen for more.

"So, you want to know more about the symptoms Yuki will get, is that correct Hatori?" the cold, almost mocking, voice was unmistakably Akito's. "Well, you already know some, but I'll tell you this, there are ones much worse then those."

"Could you say what they are so we could try and prevent them?" Hatori's voice asked calmly, though he was anxious to find out what they were.

"Like I said before, he'll get a stuffy nose, soar throat, and severe cough. Then he'll have trouble seeing clearly. He'll also probably get angry for no apparent reason. Don't be surprised if he coughs up a little blood, either, because that'll happen, as well. Oh, and I can't forget that he'll get too weak to walk, though that'll be close to when he's just about ready to die," Akito said, laughing a little bit. "The powerful rat will be too weak to fight. It would be fun to see how he'd do in a match against the cat when he's about near death. Funny how this new curse of the rat works, don't you think?"

Tohru, whose eyes were wide in both shock and fright, turned towards Kyo. His eyes were also wide, and he carried a disgusted look along with that.

"That sick bastard," Kyo muttered, shaking his head. "Of course he laughs at something _this_ bad."

"Kyo-kun…do you really think that Yuki-kun _is _dying?" Tohru asked, clasping her hands together. "It would explain how he's been acting, and Shigure, too." Before Kyo could answer, however, footsteps sounded from inside Akito's room, indicating that Hatori was about to leave. Before Tohru and Kyo could sneak away, Hatori opened the door and caught them just as they were walking off. He paused a few seconds before closing the door behind him.

"I'm guessing you heard," Hatori said, getting straight to the point. He walked down the hallway to go back to his office, followed by Tohru and Kyo.

"Hatori-san, is it really true? Is Yuki-kun really…dying?" Tohru whispered as tears blurred her vision.

"Yes, I'm afraid that is true," Hatori said sighing. "That is, unless we can find a cure, but-" He shook his head, trying not to think that it was impossible to help Yuki live longer. "I'll try to find something that could possibly help him out."

The three of them stopped in front of Hatori's office, and he turned to them, wearing a stern look.

"Now, Yuki didn't want anyone to find out about this," he said. "So, it would be best if the two of you keep what you know to yourselves. Just act like you would towards him as if you didn't know anything." Tohru and Kyo nodded. "Now, was there any reason you two came here?"

"Yes, there is!" Tohru said, remembering why they _were _there; she forgot about it after finding out about Yuki. "It's actually about Yuki and his health. Earlier today at school he passed out. He's resting now, but Shigure wanted you to go and look at him." Hatori nodded and went to get his doctor's bag. He offered them a ride home, and they got in the car, while Tohru was deep in thought. What if Yuki did die? The house wouldn't be the same without him. It'd be quieter without the quarrels between him and Kyo. His smile wouldn't be there anymore to make Tohru feel happy herself. No more Yuki would just change her drastically, because if he died, she would lose the one she loved more then anything in the world.

"Yuki-kun," Tohru whispered to herself sadly, as a few tears droplets slowly fell down her cheek and onto her lap.

* * *

**Author's Note:** How much interruption will they have to face_ BEFORE THEY KISS?_ Haha, I just love doing that still. So yes, now Tohru and Kyo found out! Eventhough Ha'ari told them not o act differently, do ya REALLY think they'll listen? Hmm, who knows? Well, I do, but… I'll never teeeell

And I seriously love my reviewers! Such kind words; makes me write more and more and more!

**lunar goddess**- Ah! HYPERNESS! It's what keeps me awake at night, and jumping through the halls of school in the morning! And you have a lot of it :D! Thanks so much for the comment! I'm really glad you like my story!

**S.B. Kisses**: Yesss yesss, I am evil, aren't I? Well, I didn't leave a killer cliffie this chapter, at least! And I'm SO GLAD YOU HATE MACHI TOO! -gets pitch fork- She can never have Yuki! Ahaha! Ohh, and I like your idea, as well! It somewhat turned out that way…or, Hatori told them, at least ;; But thanks so much for the comment!

**Animefreakkagome**: Ohhh, nice shiny axe! scoots away but have no fear, Yukiru will be here! …or there…err..it'll be in chapter 5, no need to worry!

**Yukyoru****-** I shall put in both! And a twist..it might occur, I just haven't gotten much though towards the end of the story. There might be a tiny twist, but we'll just have to wait and see :3

**Moonlit Maiden- **yes, I thought it'd be too early ;; but I try to keep ahead one chapter after the last one I posted. I haven't been completely committed to that lately -didn't start chapter 5 yet- but I try! And there will defiantly be a Yukiru moment in there :D!

Thanks again! I'm glad you responded to the poll, and I shall work with what you wanted to see more of! Until the next…

…**TBC**


	5. Sweet Kiss

**Chapter 5: Sweet Kiss**

**(Quick) Author's Note: **Oh hohohoho! Yukiru fans will enjoy this chapter! I sure loved writing it! Now, enough stalling from me XD

* * *

Yuki was lying in his bed, staring at the blank ceiling. Since Shigure was so strict about him not getting up until Hatori came to check on him, he had nothing to do but examine his room; from every detail in the design to the cracks in the walls.

'Wow, that's a big crack,' Yuki thought while tilting his head and taking a look at a short line, not more then 3 inches, along the ceiling. The door of him room suddenly opened, bringing him out of his thoughts. Hatori came in, with his white medical bag, and sat it down next to Yuki's bed.

"So, I heard you fainted at school," he said calmly as he rummaged through the bag. "How do you feel now?"

"Better," Yuki replied, though half-lying. His head felt like it was going to exploded; it kept throbbing with pain, and had been ever since he woke up in the nurses' office. Without warning, Hatori stuffed a thermometer in his mouth, making Yuki half-choke.

"Ut uh ell!" Yuki tried to get the words out clearly but the thermometer was firmly placed under his tongue, making his voice unable to be comprehendible. A few minutes passed and Hatori took it out and looked at it.

"Yes, 102 Degrees, just as I thought," he said quietly to himself. He went through his bag again and pulled out a syringe. Yuki's eyes widened as he stared at the sharp, long needle in Hatori's hand.

"Can't I just rest up some more?" he begged the doctor. Needles made him feel uneasy; going into your skin and putting medicine through your veins. Yuki shuddered at the horrible thought.

"No," Hatori answered, simply. "You'll need to hold your arm out and be still." When Yuki didn't do so, Hatori added, "Fine. You're acting just like Shigure. You just better hope I don't miss the correct spot; that would be a terrible pain to face."

"Fine!" Yuki said, slowly holding his arm out. He closed his eyes and waited for the shot to be over. However, he instead felt as if something, like a huge, sharp, piece of metal, enter his arm.

"Now, would you look at that," Hatori said, somewhat amused. Yuki opened his eyes and gave the doctor a glare. "Sorry, I'll probably get it right this time."

"_Probably?_" Yuki repeated, somewhat in a squeaky voice, as he took a huge gulp.

* * *

Tohru entered the kitchen, about to make dinner, but found that she couldn't even think about anything other then Yuki and his health. The shock of finding out he was going to die still hadn't worn off, and she was unsure as to whether or not she'd be able to act normal around him. She was relived that Hatori was looking over him, but no matter how many check-ups he gets, Yuki will still die. Tohru shuddered at the thought of it.

"Something wrong, Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked as he entered the kitchen. Tohru turned around and gave him a smile and nodded.

"It's just a little chilly," she lied. She took out the ingredients for dinner and started getting everything prepared.

* * *

Yuki rubbed the spot on his arm where the shot had been injected. It took 3 tries before Hatori actually got the right spoke. Yuki knew he did it on purpose, though.

"Not so bad, huh?" Hatori said as he packed everything away. He put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and gave it to Yuki. "Some other things that this, we'll say, sickness, can cause. Just watch out for them."

"Hatori," Yuki began as he stared at the paper in his hand, "do you happen to know _why_ I'm cursed with this? You know, why is it that the rat dies at 18, and not any of the others?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that," Hatori said, mentally slapping himself. _'Why hadn't I asked Akito that?'_ He shook his head. "I'll find out and tell you by the end of the week."

"No," Yuki said, making Hatori look up at him sharply, with a questioning look. "I'll go ask him myself. It's about me, afterall; I should be the one to see about it." The doctor stared at Yuki for a few minutes; he looked completely serious about seeing Akito.

"Alright," Hatori said, while getting up. "I'll see that he knows you'll be coming soon. Just rest a bit, until you get better, and I'll notify you when you can come." Yuki nodded and fell back gently onto his bed, feeling a bit drowsy from the needle and its contents. Hatori quietly left the room, while Yuki started to rest his eyes.

* * *

Tohru stood outside Yuki's room, holding a tray of food. Since he didn't come downstairs to eat, she thought he should have at least something before he goes to bed for the night.

"Ok, Tohru," she whispered to herself and took a deep breath. "Act like you don't know; act like everything will be alright." She knocked on his door.

"Come in," Yuki said from inside, and Tohru slid the door opened. She looked at him long enough to see him smiling at her, but quickly looked down; she was afraid he'd be able to see that she knew by the look in her eyes.

"I brought you something to eat," she said, feeling stupid at what she just said. _'Obviously I did.'_ Tohru shook her head and sat the tray down on the side table.

"Thank you, Honda-san," he replied. "Is…is something wrong?" Tohru realized that she was still staring at the ground, and she finally looked up, and nodded. Yuki saw the sadness in her eyes, and frowned. "Honda-san, are you sure everything's alright?"

"Ah! Uh, well," Tohru stuttered. _'I have to act normal!'_ She smiled at him while she took a seat next to his bed. "I should be the one asking you that question, Yuki-kun." She saw him blush a little, but it went as fast as it came, and he started to laugh.

"I'm much better," Yuki said, and just like earlier that day, he cupped her chin and they stared at each other. "Thank you for bringing me something to eat. I'll have to repay you."

"No, I don't mind; that's alright!" Tohru's words were cut short as she felt his lips touch hers gently. Though shocked, she could feel her cheeks growing warm as he did so, and had to admit it felt like heaven.

However, the kiss only lasted a few seconds, before Tohru could respond. Yuki pulled away and she saw that his cheeks were bright red. Of course, she didn't doubt that hers were as well.

"Sorry," Yuki muttered, and with all the courage he had, he looked up at Tohru. Just as she was about to replied, he continued, quickly changed the subject, "Thanks again for bringing me something to eat, Honda-san."

"I-it was no problem," Tohru replied, and she reluctantly got up and smiled at him. "Well, I, uh, have some homework to finish up, so I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Yuki-kun; I hope you get better!"

"Goodnight, Honda-san," he said as she left. He stared at the door for a few minutes, thinking about the kiss they shared, and he smiled. "I really do love her, even if I won't be around much longer." Yuki sighed and took the tray from his table and gave a small smile. _'If only I was brave enough to tell her how I feel.'_

_**Meanwhile...**_

Tohru shut her bedroom door behind her and stood against it. She still couldn't believe that Yuki had kissed her, but she loved it nonetheless. If only he knew what she felt for him...would he love her back? He may have kissed her, but what if he really didn't _love_ her?

"Still..." she whispered to herself with a smile. "I haven't felt this happy all day." She could still feel the warmth of Yuki's lips against hers, and sighed. _'If only I was brave enough to tell him how I feel.'_

_-_

The morning soon came, and everyone in the Sohma residence was up. Tohru, making breakfast; Kyo, grumbling around the house at the, as he puts it, 'lack of warm water because of that stupid, perverted, childish idiot dog'; Shigure, who was singing about high school girls as he dried his wet hair; and Yuki, who was just coming into the kitchen, more awake than he usually was in the morning.

"Yuki, Yuki, Yuki," Shigure said as he spotted him. "What are you doing out of bed?" At the mention of his name, both Tohru and Kyo turned to look at him.

"Well, it's morning, you see. I usually get up, to go to that one place where you learn. You know, that educational building...I think they call it **school**," Yuki said sarcastically; Shigure rolled his eyes with a small smile.

"Yuki-kun, are you sure you should be going to school?" Tohru asked, trying not to blush, but failing miserably. The events of yesterday were still fresh on her mind, however, she didn't mind at all thinking about the kiss. Just as Yuki was about to answer, Shigure cut in.

"Ohhh, he won't be," he said, patting Yuki on the shoulder while laughing. "He's going straight up to bed, and he'll be staying there so he can get some rest." He started ushering Yuki back up to his room.

"Why does that idiot get to stay home from school? You _make_ me go, even if I was throwing up all over the place," Kyo said, almost childish.

"You would think that you would at least act like you're 17," Yuki said, annoyed at the way Kyo spoke. At the comment, Kyo's eye twitched, but he refrained himself from trying to hit Yuki, which made both Shigure and Yuki stare at him in shock.

"Maybe you _are_ sick," Shigure said, his eyes still wide opened. However, Tohru knew he was just trying to take it easy on Yuki by not starting up fights with him.

"Shut up," Kyo muttered as he gathered up his books and put them in his bag. "I'm going." With that, he kicked the door and ripped a hole so he could fit through it and headed for school.

"I better get going too," Tohru said, while also picking up her bag. "Bye Shigure-san! Bye Yuki-kun, get some rest!" She started to blush as she gave him a smile and went to catch up with Kyo.

"It was nice that you didn't start a fight with Yuki-kun," Tohru said to him, "even though you wanted to."

"Yeah well," Kyo muttered. "It's just this once." Tohru smiled at him and they walked the rest of the way to school silently.

* * *

"You seem to be getting better," Shigure said as he looked the thermometer. "It was 102 Degrees yesterday, right? It went down 2 Degrees."

"It won't go away, will it," Yuki whispered; he said it as a statement, more than a question.

"Of course it will," Shigure said as he put the thermometer in its case. "Temperatures always do, anyways."

"No," Yuki said with an annoyed sigh. "I mean the thing that caused this; that 'curse'. There's no cure, is there?"

"Such a pessimist," Shigure said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. "You never know; nothing's impossible. There's a cure for loads of things, you just need to try and find it. I'm sure it's out there somewhere." The phone then started to ring, and Shigure left Yuki's room to answer it. Yuki sat in his bed, thinking about what Shigure had said. Of course, as much as he wanted to believe him, he didn't. Because he knew…he knew it wouldn't go away.

"Yuki," Shigure's voice came from downstairs. Yuki got out of his bed and slowly made his way downstairs to where the phone was. "It's Haa-san, he needs to talk to you." He took the phone from the dog and held it to his ear.

"I told Akito that you wanted to see him," Hatori said right away. "He said that today was the best day to come. If you're feeling better, you should come over here, especially while Tohru and Kyo are at school now."

"Alright," Yuki said. _'That was fast. I thought it'd be another week or so before he'd want to see me.' _"I guess I'll be there in a little bit…" They got off the line and Yuki went to get his coat. "I'll be back later."

"Yup!" Shigure said as he watched Yuki leave for the Main House. Hatori explained to him why he had called, and Shigure laughed quietly at the thought of Yuki going to the Main House willingly.

* * *

Hatori met up with Yuki in front of the gates of the Sohma Main House. They didn't speak a word to each other on the way to Akito's room. Yuki thought he felt a cold breeze brush pass him, but the second it came, it left, making him shiver. After what seemed like hours, considering Yuki was walking slowly after Hatori, they were outside the door, and with a knock, Yuki went in, alone.

Yuki kneeled on the floor of the ever-so-familiar, hollow, room; the one Akito stayed in. This time, however, Hatori wasn't in there with him, and Akito actually acknowledged his presence. His cold eyes were piercing into Yuki, who for once, refused to look at the floor.

"So, why exactly are you here to see me, Yuki?" he finally said, raising an eyebrow. Even so, it seemed like he already knew why he was there, but Yuki answered right away.

"I want to know more about the curse," he replied firmly. "The one I have."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry if Hatori seemed a little OOC at the beginning; he _was_ pretty funny, though XD

: Sorry if Hatori seemed a little OOC at the beginning; he pretty funny, though XD 

I'm sorry, this chapter wasn't full of too much; just Tohru's reaction towards Yuki...plus a bit of humor and, not to mention, the lovely YUKIRU! But next chapter, there _will_ be information about the curse. It's not a long explanation, but it's not a stupid one either. Ex: "Cause I said so, THAT'S WHY!"

Haha, no, it's better then that.

And some thanks to my wonderful reviewers!

**Yukyoru**- Well, Yuki and Tohru finally kissed! Wonder how they'll react now…Tohru still has trouble with the whole 'second curse' thing already! Thanks for your review!

**Moonlit Maiden**- Ah, an Akito basher. –gets bat and also hits Akito in the shin- That's awesome Nooow, the curse, it'll be explained in the next chapter, I hope it's a good enough one ;;

**Princess Viv**wipes sweat off forehead- phew! I'm glad there's no mistakes –Uh..I don't spell check or read it over much…I probably should, thought ;; - I hope I put enough detail in this chapter, I just didn't want to go overboard with it lol XD Thanks for reviewing!

**Animefreakkagome**- thanks ! And yes, your shiny axe is _so_ awesome!

**sanka**- Yes, I agree! Yuki angst _is_ the best! Hopefully Tohru won't spill out that she knows! And Yuki dying…we'll just have to wait (…er…still deciding myself lol has a complete, good ending for whatever is chosen, though)

**kitsune vampire girl**- Thanks so much for reviewing! I'll update at least once a week, so I don't lag behind

**loyanini –** Thank you so much for commenting! I'm so glad there are so many Yukiru fans (it is the best, though..haha XD) I'm glad you like my story!

I'd also like to add this, something unrelated to the story: One day, I got so bored I decided to count up my reviews. Reviews from my Fruits Basket fics, and also for my Harry Potter ones. I got 294, and now you lovely reviewers made it higher. So, who is my 300 reviewer? Why, kitsune vampire girl! Just like to say congrats!

Why, now isn't that something you don't read often in A/Ns lol

(Rushed to get chapter in by 10:30)

(huggles her new Momiji plushie) Until the next…

**TBC**


	6. A Paper Can Tell So Much

**Chapter 6: A Paper Can Tell So Much**

**Author's Note: **I had a semi-writer's block for this chapter. I knew what the story of the curse was, but I didn't know how to explain it so it didn't sound stupid. I hope I did a somewhat good job on that….

I also had Soccer tryouts after school, including 2 tests and 1 project. My week was so full, it'd make a sumo wrestler look like Lara Flynn Boyle.

Therefore, I have to make this chapter fulfilling (though, it's not the longest..but it has huge information)! I hope I live up to that :O

Enough chat; on with the story!

* * *

**"So, why exactly are you here to see me, Yuki?" he finally said, raising an eyebrow. Even so, it seemed like he already knew why he was there, but Yuki answered right away.**

**"I want to know more about the curse," he replied firmly. "The one I have."**

**-**

"Of course," Akito said, smiling evilly. Yuki shuddered at seeing this all too familiar smile, which told him he wasn't going to look forward to hearing what Akito had to say. "You do have the right to know; I should tell you." He put his hand in his kimono and pulled out a piece of, from the looks of it, very old paper. It was a yellowish-peach color and was wrinkled in several places.

"This curse happened centuries ago; the same time the Zodiac Curse was set on this family," Akito stood up from his spot against the wall and walked slowly towards Yuki. "As the curse is told, God found out about what the Rat did to the Cat. As you can see, he was fairly angry at the worthless Rat for betraying one of the animals." Yuki, being use to his insults, stared at Akito, still wanting him to go on.

"God, as punishment for the Rat, put a curse on the every 5 generations of his kind. Why every 5 generations, I don't know. He must've not wanted so many Rats infesting this planet, since they would die young and had to be reborn over and over again. So, as you can see, the Cat was not the only one who suffered from this whole ordeal," Akito finished his sentence with a small laugh. Yuki couldn't for the life of him wonder why Akito was enjoying this whole situation.

"So, that's it?" Yuki said quietly as he found the will to speak again. "If God put this curse on the Rat, then he must not want it to be cured."

"Oh, but I wouldn't go that far, dear Yuki," Akito said, shaking his right index finger with a smirk. _'That smirk again,'_ Yuki thought sourly, trying to refrain himself from giving into his urge to kick that look off his face. Bringing Yuki out of his thoughts, Akito took the ancient paper he had gotten out earlier and held it so that Yuki could see.

"You see…there is indeed a cure," Akito said, enjoying the look Yuki now had; his eyes were wide in shock, and his mouth was hanging slightly opened. "All you need to know about curing yourself is on this little piece of crusty old paper."

Yuki's mouth was running dry as he stared at the paper Akito was holding. That paper, so delicate, held the answer to his problem. If he was to know the cure of his sickness, then he wouldn't die. His life would be back to what it had been before. Granted, it wasn't exactly the best that way, but it was much more precious than the one he was being forced to live now.

"You do know, Yuki, that not everyone can get their hands on the cure of their curse," Akito said, while putting the paper back in his kimono. He leaned in towards Yuki and whispered, "I am afraid that you won't be able to do so, either."

"What do you mean?" Yuki blurted out as his heart dropped. He needed that piece of paper; his life literally depended on it. "Why can't I find out the cure? Why are you doing this, Akito!"

"I like to watch people suffer," Akito said simply as he headed towards the window. A bird perched itself on his finger and started chirping as he continued sarcastically, "Well, I think that's enough for one day. Don't want to get exhausted, do you, Yuki?" Shaking with anger, Yuki rose from his spot on the ground, and headed angrily towards to exit. He flung the door opened, then slammed it shut behind him, making Hatori stare at him questioningly.

"Did something not go as you planned?" he asked the angry Yuki as he made his way to the exit of the Main House.

"No, it didn't!" Yuki yelled as they headed out towards the yard. "That stupid little bastard _wants_ me to die!"

"What are you talking about?" Hatori asked, utterly confused. Yuki stopped right near the gates of the Main House and leaned against them, breathing angrily.

"Well, not only did I learn about how I got this stupid curse, but I found out that it _can_ be cured!" Yuki punched the wall in complete anger, cracking it just a tiny bit.

"Yuki, just calm down for a minute before you make yourself worse," Hatori said calmly. Yuki took a few deep breaths and finally calmed, somewhat, down. However, he was too unbelievably angry to stop the shaking that followed. "Ok, now, what do you mean there's a cure? Akito said before that there wasn't any."

"He lied," Yuki said, taking a few more breaths. "He has this paper that has the cure for this."

"Then why are you angry?" Hatori asked, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be happy that there's a way out of this?"

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Yuki muttered. "Akito refused to give it to me, and now I have no choice but to just sit here and slowly wait to die. Not to mention that everyone will see my health disintegrate."

"Don't tell me you've given up already?" The doctor asked him while shaking his head. "No, you shouldn't, not yet. Akito can't keep that paper forever; we just need to either get him to hand it over, or steal it from him."

"Am I hearing this correctly?" Yuki asked, staring at Hatori in admiration. "You, the most responsible, all-work-no-play, person in this family, will go as far as to steal from the Head?"

"In a life or death situation, yes," Hatori replied with a very small smile. "Let's talk about this on a later date. You still have a high temperature, from what Shigure has told me, and you need your rest."

As they were walking towards Hatori's car, Yuki's vision started to get blurry once more. However, it didn't stay completely like that, but went on and off. He didn't dare say anything to Hatori about it, in fear of getting another shot and being fussed over with. Besides, his vision was now fully clear; he didn't need to worry anyone about something so unimportant.

* * *

Yuki entered the Sohma house, not any less furious at what Akito told him. He could hardly believe that a guy like him could be the Head of the family. They're supposed to lead everyone in the right direction, not steer them into a dead end. Yuki slowly walked down the hallway with a sigh, and thought about how he was going to get that paper from Akito. 

_'I could just run in and grab it from him; he can't be much of a runner, can he?'_ Yuki thought as he stopped and leaned against the wall to concentrate more. He imagined jumping in through Akito's window, running up to him, grabbing the paper, then say "Can't have this!" before running off… and getting tackled by Akito; Unlikely, but still a somewhat possibility. _'Or…I could sneak in as a servant, and steal it from him when he's not looking.**'**_He then pictured himself in a maid's outfit and shuddered.

Before he could think of any more, not so brilliant, plans to get a hold of the paper, a high pitched voice brought him away from his thoughts.

"Is that you, my dearest brother!" Ayame's voice came from the kitchen, and Yuki slapped his forehead in annoyance. '_Of all the times for him to be here, it _had_ to be now.' _

Yuki tried to quietly sneak upstairs, pretending he wasn't even in the house, but when he reached the first step, he started feeling dizzy once more. Now, instead of just one pair of steps, he saw two, and both started moving around. Yuki clutched his head as if it was he who was spinning. In the process of doing so, he stumbled over his own feet and fell back, hitting the wall across from the stairs. He started sliding down, but he steadied himself and shook his head. For a brief moment, everything was back to normal. Yuki could also see his brother, and Shigure, come into the hallway, both with curious looks.

"Is everything alright, Yuki?" Shigure asked worriedly.

"It sounded like you hit something," Ayame said, looking around as if to see something that could have caused it.

"I just stumbled, that's all," Yuki muttered as he straightened up. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get some rest." He started, yet again, to climb up the stairs. Ayame and Shigure watched him in confusion, and saw him stop completely. Yuki put his hands to his mouth and started coughing violently. He started to taste the bitter blood, and he looked at his hands momentarily. The blood, from his own mouth, covered the middle of his palms, and his eyes grew large in shock. Before he knew it, the blood; the stairs; everything, went fuzzy and he felt himself fall backwards, down the steps, and then being unknowingly caught by two arms before he hit the floor.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ah, another one of Yuki's symptoms: Anger. Don't mess with that sour apple (haha don't ask). 

Is it just more, or does Akito seem to _want_ to die? Cause I feel like slapping him a few…slapping him with bricks, by the way. (Sighs) I have to stop being so mean to poor little Yuki-kun! He has enough to worry about already, without Akito being such a to him!

OH, I am very happy, too! I won the Reflections Contest at my school for Literature and my story's going to National Judging. I can't wait for the results :-P

Thanks to my WONDERFUL reviews yet again:

**Yukyoru**- Yep, they kissed! I hope I didn't make Tohru blush too much. It's just that she seems like she would on her first kiss

**Moonlit Maiden**- Thank you so much about the incomprehendible! I wasn't sure what to put there, so, being the lazy person I am, I just kept it like that. Thanks again! And don't needles just scare ya? They scare me OO

**Princess Viv**- Yukiru is the best, isn't it? Can't help but love it muwahahaha! And this time I'll actually spell check; I was a bit rushed and forgot last time ;;

**Animefreakkagome**- I defiantly agree with you on that; people who don't like Yukiru just really really suck :P

**QueenOfHearts3**- haha, that's awesome! Insane is the best thing to be (laughs uncontrollably until I start hacking like I have a furball) yyess, insane! And I'm glad you like the story!

**loyanini**- Yes, he better tell her soon (keeps forgetting that she gets to decide the fate of the characters)! Hopefully will stop being a sissy pants and tell her ASAP! Cause you can't get better than Yukiru, that's a fact.

Thanks again!

Next chapter: Now that Ayame witnesses Yuki's state of health…will he find out about Yuki's 'curse'? And if he does, how will he react? And don't worry, Tohru will appear again..unlike in this chapter!


	7. Brother Knows Best

**Chapter 7: Brother Knows Best**

**Author's Note: **Well, maybe he doesn't know _best _but he knows _something._

I'm sorry for not getting this out sooner (…again…) But since Spring Break started for me, I'll have much more time to write. Hopefully I'll get another chapter out before April 4th starts up.

Enjoy!

* * *

"**It sounded like you hit something," Ayame said, looking around as if to see something that could have caused it.**

"**I just stumbled, that's all," Yuki muttered as he straightened up. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get some rest." He started, yet again, to climb up the stairs. Ayame and Shigure watched him in confusion, and saw him stop completely. Yuki put his hands to his mouth and started coughing violently. He started to taste the bitter blood, and he looked at his hands momentarily. The blood, from his own mouth, covered the middle of his palms, and his eyes grew large in shock. Before he knew it, the blood; the stairs; everything, went fuzzy and he felt himself fall backwards, down the steps, and then being unknowingly caught by two arms before he hit the floor.**

**-**

Ayame quickly caught Yuki as soon as he saw him sway backwards and completely collapse. "Yuki!"

"Bring him to the couch," Shigure instructed, trying to stay calm about the situation, though this wasn't the first time Yuki had fainted. Ayame carried Yuki into the living room, and placed him on the couch carefully. He turned to Shigure, who was searching through the medicine cabinet and then getting out a wet cloth to place on Yuki's head.

"Shigure, what's happening?" he asked the dog in concern as he came back in to treat Yuki. Without answering, Shigure placed the cloth on Yuki's forehead and sighed. He's symptoms were getting worse, and now that Ayame witnessed one of them…he needed to know about what his brother was going through.

"Ayame, I have to tell you something about Yuki," Shigure said without even looking up at the snake as he spoke. "He'll kill me for this, but you need to know…"

"Is it that bad?" Ayame asked quietly. If Shigure was talking as seriously as he was, it was bound to be about something terribly devastating. However, he laughed at himself at the thought of Yuki being the one in trouble. "It _can't_ be _that_ bad; it's not like he's dying or anything…" Though he said it without missing a beat, the thought of it made Ayame shudder and flinch.

"Ayame, you should sit for this," Shigure said, hesitant to tell him that Yuki was indeed dying, especially now more then ever. Ayame, who's laughing turned into slight shaking, obeyed Shigure's request, and took a seat in the nearest chair. Now he _knew_ bad news was about to be reported to him.

* * *

Yuki rolled over in his place on the couch and grumbled when he felt a sore spot in his throat. He couldn't even remember how he got to where he was. Everything was blurry in his mind, just like his eyes had been earlier. Now they were even too weak to open, but he could hear as perfectly as he could before. 

"Shigure, he's starting to move around," the voice of his brother filled his ears and he sighed quietly to himself. _'Great, now I have to listen to him talk about what he stupidly did in high school, and I was so close to sneaking away the first time.'_ Then it hit him like a brick; Yuki remembered falling from the stairs in front of Shigure and Ayame. Which means the gossiping, secrets-are-only-fun-to-spread dog told the I-am-very-annoying snake about his 'curse'. Without hesitation, Yuki jumped up from the comfortable place he had been sleeping on and finally opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a cloth falling from his forehead, and he sighed, his heart beating slightly faster out of surprise. He also saw thick blankets covering him, which he _was_ grateful for as he felt a cold breeze brush past his face, causing him to shiver. Yuki turned his head to the side and saw Ayame staring at him with wide, worried eyes. Shigure was next to him, but had a less frightening look on his face.

"How are you feeling?" Shigure asked, tilting his head to the side. Yuki stared at him blankly, his brain slowly registering what he was asked, and then answered.

"Oh, great," he said sarcastically while slightly rolling his eyes. "I don't think I've been any healthier in my life." Yuki marked the question as a stupid one; he fell down the stairs and coughed up blood, of course he felt like crap.

"I'm serious, Yuki," Shigure replied, ignoring the sarcastic remark. "I need to know, so I can give you any medicine if you need it."

"Fine," Yuki said, crossing his arms. "I have a bursting headache, my throat's killing me, and I feel light headed." Shigure nodded and got up, quickly saying he was going to get something to help Yuki. Though that was true, he also wanted Yuki and Ayame to talk.

There was only an awkward silence between the two, however. Yuki leaned back into the edge of couch arm and, arms still crossed, stared at the wall in front of him. Ayame was looking at the floor, trying to decide whether or not to tell Yuki he knew about the rat's curse. As Shigure said, he would be mad that Ayame knew, but how could the snake not see that _something_ was wrong with him?

"Go on, say it," Yuki finally said. Ayame looked up from the floor and saw him, not staring straight at him, but at the wall behind him.

"What?" Ayame asked, slightly confused. He wasn't expecting Yuki to say something to him, and before he himself could even start a conversation.

"You know about this stupid curse, I can tell," Yuki replied, now staring at Ayame. His eyes looked bored, as if he were asking about what homework was assigned in class. "Well? You do know, right?" Ayame stared at Yuki, still slightly shocked at Yuki's forwardness, but nodded slowly nonetheless.

"How do you feel about all this?" Ayame asked, taking a crack at being serious, however, Yuki laughed lightly.

"What are you, my psychiatrist?" he said sarcastically. "Actually, I don't know what to feel about this; not now, at least. Not like I can do anything about it."

"But…Shigure said there was a cure to this," Ayame replied. He stared at his brother for a few moments. _'Did he give up already?'_

"Does everyone know about this?" Yuki asked angrily. He didn't want Hatori telling anyone, mainly being Shigure and Ayame, about the 'cure' that he wasn't able to get a hold of. True, Hatori did say they'd try to get it, but that doesn't exactly guarantee anything.

"Listen, Yuki," Ayame said. "There's a cure out there, and just because Akito has it doesn't mean you can't."

"Ok, so what am I suppose to do? Break through the roof and grab it from him while he's sleeping?" Yuki asked, rolling his eyes. "You do know it's in his kimono. It'll be hard to get it."

"It's not like he _keeps_ it in there," Ayame said with a sigh; Yuki was being too much like Hiro for his liking. "Just keep this in mind: Don't give up, and if worse comes to worse, fight Akito for it." He laughed his usual laugh at the thought of Yuki kicking Akito's ass and getting the cure. It's not like it was impossible; Akito wasn't exactly healthy. "Besides, don't you want to live so you can tell Tohru-kun how you feel?"

Yuki's eyes narrowed, slightly in shock, and his mouth hung slightly opened. Not to mention that his cheeks were glowing a bright fire red. "How – who..w-what?"

"It's not like it's oblivious to the world," Ayame said, laughing at the face Yuki was making. "Everyone can see it, dearest brother! Now you just have to tell her."

"Uh," Yuki was lost for words. He didn't exactly want to speak to his brother about this kind of stuff. "Sure, fine, let's just change the subject now." Just then, Shigure finally entered the room with some medicine and another set of blankets.

"Took me a while to find this," Shigure laughed at himself, but it didn't fool anyone. Since when was it hard to find a box of medicine, especially when it was always kept in a cabinet in the bathroom? Shigure, noticing the stares he was getting, quickly changed that subject. "Oh look at that, Tohru-kun and Kyon-Kyon are home from school." Sure enough, both entered the room and sat their school bags on the floor.

"Hello Ayame-san!" Tohru said with a smile while Kyo sighed in annoyance. Ayame smiled back, snickering only loud enough for Yuki to hear. In return, Yuki took the nearest, heaviest, thing he could find, being a book of Shigure's, and chucked it at Ayame's head. Tohru then noticed Yuki lying on the couch, covered in blankets.

"Is everything alright, Yuki-kun?" she asked worriedly. The curse and all the symptoms Yuki would get flooded in Tohru's mind and she almost let out a gasp. In an instant, she was sitting next to him on the floor.

"Err..." He didn't want to worry her about his 'fall', and he also didn't want her to get suspicious of his condition, either. "I just decided to rest down here, instead of in my room. Actually, I really do feel better." Shigure rolled his eyes, shook his head, and left the room to, in truth, finish his novel. Ayame, feeling Yuki and Tohru needed to some time alone together, ushered Kyo out of the room with rants of his high school years. Both Tohru and Yuki sat in silence, Yuki being annoyed at Ayame's plan of getting them together. Sure, he wanted to tell her everything, but he wasn't sure how.

"Oh, before I forget," Tohru reached into her bag and pulled out a book and some papers. "I've got today's homework for you, but you should get some rest so you don't overwork yourself."

"Thank you, Honda-san," Yuki replied with a smile. However, the inside of him was nervous, and it was telling him to tell Tohru how he felt. "Um, Honda-san? I need to tell you something."

"Yes?" Tohru replied with a smile; it actually never left her face. Yuki paused and his mouth went dry from what he was planning to say.

"Oru Unduh I uve hoo," Yuki mixed his words with a cough, somewhat hoping that she had heard him so he wouldn't have to repeat; it took him a lot of courage to tell her just even once.

"Huh?" Tohru looked confused, as his words were just like one big sentence, and the cough didn't help much.

Yuki took a deep breathe before quickly whispering to her once more,

"Tohru Honda, I love you."

* * *

**Author's Note: **If Yuki seems slightly out of character, it's more then likely because of the curse. It makes him moody :3 (he could show anger, sadness, depression, sarcastic ness, embarrasses easily, and stuff along those lines.) 

But other than that, how was the ending? Muwahahaha, wonder what she'll say? Before I get to the lovely reviews, the next chapter will be the plan to get the paper with the cure on it from evil, smelly, lets-shove-a-stick-down-his-throat Akito. Oh man, I'm gunna love writing the cure :D

P.S- Remember when I said Machi was scheduled to appear later? Uh…that might not happen now. I can't think of anywhere to put her without wandering away from the story line. So, she will 90 percent not appear. Not much of a loss, though, so LET'S MOVE ON :D!

**Animefreakkagome**- lol thanks so much! And that ego be growin!

**Yukyoru**- :D lol, the cure has been retrieved! AHAHAHAHA! Ohhh, things will get waaaay outta hand when they try to get the paper (pretty much at least lol)

**Moonlit Maiden**- Hopefully the suspense will get as thick as a willow tree, especially, if they do get the paper, when they get the cure. And thanks for the congradulations :D!

**yi wen1776**- Yup, all Ayame! He's such an awesome brother, now isn't he? And yes, Akito… (strangles him) can't put it any better than that. Thanks for reviewing, too!

**QueenOfHearts3**- Oh, you can borrow him as long as you want! You don't even need to bring him back in good condition; heck, you don't even need to bring him _back_! He's too evil for this world. And wow, there being no cure…nice thinking! But can I be that cruel and have Akito do such a thing… huuumm… :oD Thanks for the review!

**Tochi Kitsune Moga**- I'm glad you thought the curse was good :3 And I hope you liked the brotherly moment Ayame and Yuki shared! I could never write yaoi; I don't read it, either. Especially incest yaoi…and _especially_ between Yuki and Ayame lol. Thanks so much for the review!

**M****isstressSango01**- I'm glad you enjoy my story! I'll read your fic as soon as I can; I have so much too do now with soccer and grades T.T But I will ASAP!

**YukiTohru4eva- **Thanks for the review :D I'm glad you like! I hope you liked the end (at least lol, there's also the beginning of chapter 8) and your penname roXxs my soXxs (hehe)!

Thanks again!

(hums to 'Call Me Call Me' by Tim Jensen)

Until the next…

**TBC**


	8. All That Matters

**Chapter 8: All That Matters**

**Author's Note: **Beware – Yukiru moment ahead, may cause extreme 'AWWW'ness XD (it may not be long but its sweet!)

**-**

"**Oru Unduh I uve hoo," Yuki mixed his words with a cough, somewhat hoping that she had heard him so he wouldn't have to repeat; it took him a lot of courage to tell her just even once.**

"**Huh?" Tohru looked confused, as his words were just like one big sentence, and the cough didn't help much.**

**Yuki took a deep breathe before quickly whispering to her once more,**

"**Tohru Honda, I love you."**

**-**

Tohru sat on the floor, unable to speak or even move. She wasn't exactly sure if she heard Yuki correctly – did he really just say he _loved_ her? He looked like he had, considering he was a deep red. Blinking a few times, Tohru found her voice and spoke up.

"Yuki-kun," she said before smiling, "I love you too." With that, she wrapped her arms around Yuki, who seconds later turned into a mouse. Yuki's eyes widened at Tohru's actions, but he couldn't help but feel, ever since he heard about his 'curse', extremely happy. Tohru scooped him up in her hand and stared at him with a warm smile.

"I was afraid this day might not have come," She whispered to him and then put him back on the couch. After she did so, she quickly turned around, and just in time. Yuki changed back into his human form, and put his clothes back on. When Tohru turned around, Yuki took her by surprise and kissed her as he did yesterday. This time she wasn't as shocked as before, and was able to return his kiss.

"AW! The Prince and Princess finally ended up together!" Ayame's voice came from the doorway the lead from the kitchen to the living room. It was rather obvious that he had been spying on them ever since he 'left'. Yuki's face boiled in embarrassment, but was quickly turned into anger.

"**Why the hell are you spying on us**?" Yuki yelled at him, while tossing yet another book at him. Ayame ducked in time, and went off to Shigure's room.

"GURE-SAN, LITTLE YUKI CONFESSED HIS LOVE TO TOHRU-KUN!" he said, half singing. Yuki's eye twitched but he remained calm. He turned back towards Tohru with a smile. It just didn't seem so real; it was like he was having a wonderful dream, and he didn't ever want to wake up. However, it wasn't such a thing. It _had_ happened, and Yuki couldn't help but smile. He wrapped his arms around Tohru, careful not to have their bodies touch so he wouldn't change, and rested his head on top of hers.

The curse he had seemed like so little of a problem, he hardly even remembered he had it. Nothing really mattered at the moment. Yuki told Tohru how he felt, and she returned the same feeling. He truly couldn't have been happier then he already was.

* * *

Hatori sat at his office desk with his head in his hands. He was still trying to figure out how to get the paper away from Akito. It seemed so easy at first, but he had to think everything through. If they were caught, there's no telling what kind of punishment Akito would give them. 

The only thing Hatori felt confident about was where the cure was being held. If he wasn't mistaken, it should be in the one room no one but Akito himself was allowed in. Hatori only got a glimpse of it a few years ago, and from what he could remember, there was a place in the wall with drawers that had locks on them, plus a few other minor things. He could easily get a tool of his to open the lock, though there were a load of drawers to go through.

Another few minutes passed when Hatori sat up in his chair and smile in triumph. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it sooner, being as simple as it was. Now both Yuki and he had a chance to get to the cure. All they had to do was put the plan to action, and fast. With that, Hatori got up from his chair, pulled on his coat, and left his office

_'Hopefully this'll be the end of all the mess these last few days,_' Hatori thought, starting the car, which gave a loud roar. With that, he left for Shigure's house hurriedly as pebbles from the driveway flew across the air when the wheels dug into the ground before rushing off.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Yuki started, as both he and Hatori drove to the Main House. All he knew was that the doctor had come up with a plan to get the cure, and that was as he had been practically pulled out from Shigure's house and into Hatori's car. "You're going to keep Akito busy while I " 

"Go through Akito's things," Hatori finished as they pulled into the driveway. He took the keys out of the ignition and turned towards Yuki. "I'd check the drawers on the wall first. They have locks on them, so Akito might have used one to lock the paper in."

"Ok, good plan. I'll just break the locks open with the lasers from my eyes," Yuki said sarcastically. Hatori rolled his eyes. These mood swings were starting to bother him.

"I have a pick you can use for _that_," Hatori said while he handed Yuki the small pointed object. "It should work well enough. If all else fails, try looking for something else that could open the locks, or even the key, if it's in there." Yuki nodded in return and they both got out of the car. The walk to get inside the building seemed to last hours for Yuki. Today he would try to find out what he can do to save himself from possible early age death. Now that he had told Tohru that he loved her, and that he knew she loved him in return, nothing was more important than getting his hands on the cure.

Hatori ushered Yuki ahead to the room only Akito was allowed in before heading quickly to where Akito was sulking about. The door to the room was locked, so Yuki took out the pick and stuck it in the key hole. He fiddled around until he heard a soft click and he opened the door.

The inside wasn't as big as Yuki had imagined it to be; it was a small, stuffed room. There was a desk with only one chair beside it in the middle of the room, on top of a dark brown rug. A few pieces of paper were scattered on the surface, but none of which looked important for his part. Yuki looked to his left, and saw the drawers Hatori told him about. There were around 50 of them, seemingly jammed together. Without hesitation, Yuki took the pick, went to the drawer on the farthest bottom left, and tried to get the lock to open. It indeed was hard to do, but he eventually got it unlocked. However, to his disappointment, the drawer was completely empty. Yuki let out a sigh of frustration and went on to the next drawer, above the previous one.

_'I hope Hatori can stall Akito long enough. This will take awhile,_' Yuki thought as he struggled to get the second lock opened.

* * *

"Why are you here, Hatori?" Akito asked when the doctor entered the room. "I don't believe I have a check up scheduled for today." Hatori, who had been practicing what he was going to say to the Head, answered immediately. 

"It's been getting cold out lately. I wanted to make sure you didn't catch anything." There. The perfect answer, or at least, near perfect. It was in fact getting cold out, and Akito always got sick when fall came.

"I'm perfectly fine," Akito said in annoyance. "There is no need to waste your time, or mine." Something seemed to be off by the way Hatori looked. He was hardly making eye contact with Akito, although he always had before. "Tell me, is there something you're keeping from me, Hatori?"

"Of course not," Hatori answered rather quickly. He paused before continuing, "All I came here for was to check up on you, nothing more." Akito stared at the top of Hatori's head, considering it was the closest he could see of his face, and smirked. He was now positive something happened, or will happen very soon.

"Alright," Akito finally said. He was hoping to be able to get Hatori to blurt out whatever he was hiding. "Now that I think about it, I feel slightly chilled." Hatori went over to Akito and placed his bag beside him before he rummaged through the contents. The doctor was keeping his usual demeanor and didn't speak while he checked on the Head. However, Hatori's own silence was made up by Akito, who started to speak after a few minutes.

"How's Yuki?" he asked, as if the question held nothing important, though in all reality, it really did. "Is he getting worse? I can't see him getting any better." He ended his sentence with a tiny, almost unnoticeable laugh. Hatori eyes, which were hidden behind his hair, narrowed in anger; how could he say those kinds of things and _laugh_ about it? Even so, Hatori kept from saying what was on his mind.

"He's the same as you last saw him," he finally said, trying to keep his voice normal.

"It's a shame, knowing that the cure is out there, but Yuki won't be able to see it," Akito continued with a cruel smile. "To think, it's so close by, in a room where only I can go."

"It's really in there?" Hatori asked quietly, mostly to himself. However, Akito, with sharp hearing, heard all that he said.

"I had a feeling he was here," he said viciously. "You two were trying to sneak by and get away with the cure, weren't you?" Before Hatori could answer, plus the shock in his behalf, Akito stood up and stormed off to where the said room was. Hatori quickly recovered from the scene, and followed Akito hurriedly.

* * *

Yuki was at his 26th lock, and he was extremely tired. Of all the drawers he searched through thus far, only 3 had papers in them, and none contained the cure. Yuki was now leaning against the wall for a brief break, and stared at the desk in the middle of the room. There was only one drawer on it, locked like the others around it. Staring at it closely, he got a strange feeling that was telling him to look in the drawer. Feeling as though he had no choice, Yuki crawled over to the desk, picked the lock, and opened the drawer. 

Inside were a bunch of papers, but none that looked old and crumpled. However, Yuki still searched through the mess, and reached the bottom of the pile. His breathe stopped short and his heart started to beat faster. There, before his very own eyes, was the paper he had been looking for. Carefully, he picked it up and turned it over. He quickly read from the top, trying to find the cure in the jumble of all the words. The beginning was the origin of the curse, so Yuki decided to skip to the bottom, and smiled when he saw the words CURE. He continued to read aloud hurriedly, so he could obtain the cure faster.

_God, though still angered at the Rat, placed a cure along with the curse. The Rat, in order to be freed from death, had to lose in a fight against the Cat. This would bring victory for the Cat, thus canceling the curse upon the Rat. However, the fight must be played fair. The Rat may not lose on purpose, or the curse will forever remain. _

After Yuki had finished, he stared at the paper in disbelief. He never thought the cure would be _that_; he thought there would be an antidote, or something along those lines.

"No, this… this can't be…" Yuki whispered to himself. A laugh came from behind him, and he quickly turned around.

"It is quite shocking, isn't it? Having to lose just to get better," Akito said with a cruel grin.

**-**

**Author's Note: **Wow, I started writing this the day I put chapter 7 out. MOTIVATION! But alas, I ended with a cliffhanger... once more! But now you know the cure! Doesn't it make you laugh just even a tiny bit? And sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm in a hurry to bring you this chapter today, rather than tomorrow. Now, keeping this short, LETS GO TO REVIEWERS!

**Yukyoru**- I agree (can't say it enough times) YUKIRU RULES AHAHA! And yessss, I liked how Aaya told Yuki too lol. Thanks so much for the review!

**MegTao**- Ah, don't worry; I haven't seen all of the show yet either. I've still got to see the 1st DVD and the 2nd. And yes, I can't believe he told her either (and I wrote it lol) Also…Kyo..well, he might not have gotten the cure, but he's gunna have a pretty big role later on :D

**anime-lover-4-ever**- Sorry .; I love cliffhangers! Though, I hate reading them, so I know how you feel lol. I'd also like to add that I think it'd be a good thing for Kyo to hit Yuki. (huggles Yuki for what she just said).

**Sakura A. Moon**- Yay, a Machi disliker! She cannot have Yuki T.T Maybe she is an O.K person, but I have yet to see her :D Thanks for the really nice review!

**Cardcaptor Soldier****- **Oh man, your cheer rocks XD! I'm glad you like my story!

**o.oxanimefreakxo.o**- Thanks so much for the review! Next chapter Akito might not have the cure anymore, so GO YUKI GO!

**Moonlit Maiden-** I hope Tohru's reaction wasn't too bad, it took me forever to write because I didn't know how to put it .;; And thanks so much for reviewing!

**Kenshins koishii-** Wow . thanks so much for your wonderful comment! I'm glad you and your friends like it! Now, the lemon…nope, there won't be one. I've never wrote one before, and I'm not sure I'd be able to :);;;.

**kishe**- Thanks so much for your review! I'll try to update more!

**mistic fox**- Sorry for ending the last chapter the way I did . Cliffhangers are my specialty. Thanks so much for the review!

Until the next (laughs like a madman)

**TBC**


	9. Unbelievable

**Chapter 9- Unbelievable**

**Author's Note**: I'm sorry I hadn't gotten this up sooner. I jammed my finger, and I was unable to type, or even write for that matter, for a few days. It hurt as much as it would if all Akito and Machi haters combined forces and started to beat both down with big metal bats. Yes…that badly. Other than that, I've started on some other Fruits Basket fanfics. Those will be up in a month or so (after I finish this story). Well, enjoy!

* * *

"**No, this… this can't be…" Yuki whispered to himself. A laugh came from behind him, and he quickly turned around.**

"**It is quite shocking, isn't it? Having to lose just to get better," Akito said with a cruel grin.

* * *

**

Hatori finally caught up to Akito, but already knew he was too late to stop him. Akito had caught Yuki in his private, always locked room. All that the Head was doing, however, was standing in the doorway in a calm manner. It somewhat surprised Hatori, but at the same time it made him uncomfortable. He moved quietly to the side so that he could get a better view, and saw a wide-eyed Yuki staring at Akito. In his right hand was an ancient, battered old piece of paper, which Hatori assumed was the paper with the cure on it, which Yuki described it as just that. He smiled to himself for a split second before remembering about the whole situation and the fact that Akito was in front of him, observing the scene just as Hatori was.

"Yes, when I read that the Cat had to beat the Rat _fairly_, I laughed," Akito said, now taking a few steps inside the room. "Kind of shocking, don't you think?"

Yuki looked away from Akito and back at the paper. He reread the cure, hoping to see that he had read it wrong. Sadly, however, he hadn't, and he stared at the paper with a blank expression.

_'So the stupid cat as he to beat me…like he always wanted to?'_ Yuki, now slightly amused, thought. He quietly, yet bitterly, laughed to himself and looked back up at Akito.

"Is this the reason why you taught me not to lose to Kyo?" Yuki asked, now narrowing his eyes.

"No, it's actually not," Akito replied, the smirked. "I didn't know about this until just recently. However, I am glad that I _did_ teach you that."

"Why do you want me to die so badly, Akito!" Yuki asked angrily. He knew the Head disliked everyone in the family, but to not care if they _die_?

"Less to worry about," Akito said, shrugging lazily. "You're not even an important member of this family, so it wouldn't matter if you died."

Hatori watched the scene in shock. If learning what the cure was wasn't enough, hearing Akito say these things really outdid it. Never had Akito wanted death on anyone. He just wanted them to deeply hurt. Hatori observed Yuki's expressions, and saw that he was getting extremely angry.

_'Be careful about what you say, Yuki, or you'll get him upset,'_ Hatori thought anxiously.

"I was hoping you wouldn't find the cure. No doubt would you avoid a fight with that stupid Cat in _your_ condition. The Dog wouldn't even allow it," Akito said, now standing right in front of Yuki. "Then again, I didn't expect you, of all people, to break into here and look for the cure." With quick speed, Akito grabbed Yuki by the hair as he had only weeks ago, but this time it was with much greater force.

"That was a bad decision on your part," Akito spat angrily. He lifted Yuki, still by the hair, an inch off the floor with a cruel smile.

"Akito!" Hatori finally spoke, and he stood on his feet. He wasn't just going to sit there doing nothing. Akito looked over at Hatori and gave him a lethal glare.

"Going to go against me _again_, Hatori?" he said, already angry enough as it was.

"Let him go, Akito," Hatori said, ignoring the Head's question; he was trying to stay calm. However, before either of them could say or do anything, Yuki yanked himself free of Akito's grip, as it had loosened when he had turned away. To both Yuki and Hatori's surprise, Akito just stood there, letting out a small huff of frustration.

"You know, I shouldn't be worried," he finally said, his calmness quite unnerving on his behalf. "Like the Cat has any chance of beating you. He's just too weak. Besides, even though you're getting sicker by the moment, Yuki, you could still beat him." With that, he headed towards the door, but paused and turned around before going through it.

"Before I go, I'd like to remark that this isn't close to being over," he said brutally. "If that Cat beats you, I won't be too happy." With a threat lingering in the air, Akito turned around and left the room. Yuki stared at the space where Akito just was and held the paper in his hand firmly. He then finally got up and went to where Hatori was and let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright?" Hatori asked as they slowly made their way outside. They just needed to get out of the Main House, as it left them feeling uneasy.

"Yeah, I guess," Yuki replied. "At least now I can get cured. Though I'll have to tell Kyo about this whole ordeal, and then Honda-san will have to know." Hatori coughed and shifted uncomfortable.

"About that..." he said, and Yuki looked at him. "They both already know."

"What do you mean they already _know_?" Yuki asked angrily. "How do they know?"

"I was talking to Akito about this a few days ago, and they overheard when they came to the Main House. I had no choice but to tell them the whole thing," Hatori replied as they reached his car. They both climbed in and Yuki shook his head in disbelief. Though, it did explain why Tohru was nervous around him, and why Kyo refused to fight him when the chance came. If they acted like that when they heard of his curse, how would they react when they hear about the _cure_...?

* * *

Tohru waited apprehensively in the living room. Hatori had so suddenly came and took Yuki with him that he didn't even say where they were going. However, she did have a feeling that it had to do with Yuki's 'curse'. The hope that it was a good thing they were gone kept her still smiling, and helped her not feel like a piece of her heart had gone missing. 

Shigure quietly walked into the living room and let out a small sigh. He saw Tohru sitting on the floor by the window, staring distantly off into the driveway. She hadn't left that spot since Yuki left, and that was almost 2 hours ago.

"Tohru-kun," Shigure said gently, while placing his hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you take a little rest? He'll be back soon."

"I can't, Shigure-san," Tohru replied quietly, her eyes not leaving the dirt road. "I want to be here when he comes." Shigure slowly nodded, though she wasn't able to see it, and turned around. Before he left the room, Shigure turned around and cleared his throat.

"I think you need to know something about Yuki," he said, going into his serious demeanor. Before he could muster the courage to tell her of Yuki's 'curse', she finally looked away from the window and at Shigure.

"I know about his curse," Tohru said, her voice slightly quivering. She added softly, "Yuki-kun could die if he doesn't find the cure." Shigure stood in his spot, wide-eyed, unable to move. He had no idea she knew about the whole situation. Not yet, anyways. Shigure nodded and Tohru turned back to the window. He stood there, still, watching her stare at nothing as the sunlight started to slowly fade away. Tohru's hair fell in front of her face, hiding the hurt that has now seized her eyes. She was unable to keep hold of the happiness that was with her just seconds ago, and now she was breaking. Tears silently fell from her eyes at the thought of Yuki dying, and she started to shake. Shigure was startled by this, as it was the first time he's ever seen her cry, and he went up to her. He wanted to embrace her into a hug for comfort, but with the Zodiac curse, he was unable to do so. How he wished he could find a way to truly help her at a time like this. Tohru was only 17 and had lost both her parents; if she lost Yuki…

"Tohru-kun, you don't need to worry," Shigure said, gently putting a hand on top of her head. "Yuki-kun is the type of person who will never give up on something as important as finding a way to live."

"What if he doesn't, though?" Tohru cried, trying to contain herself from completely bursting into a large amount of tears.

"To be quite honest, Tohru-kun, I think he _will_ find it," Shigure said, sitting down next to her. "Do you really think Yuki-kun would leave you like that?" Tohru sniffed a few times in response. "No, of course he wouldn't. He loves you too much for that, Tohru-kun. Yuki-kun won't stop looking until he finds it, because he won't give up. I bet you anything he found it already." Shigure hoped he was right about that part. True, Yuki wouldn't stop looking for the cure, but whether he had it at this moment, the dog did not know.

"You're right, Shigure-san," Tohru finally said, wiping away the tears that had stained her face. "Yuki-kun won't give up. He'll find it and everything will be alright." Shigure smiled as Tohru's optimistic side showed again. He got up and patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. Just as he was about to leave, Tohru spoke up once more.

"Shigure-san?" Shigure looked down to find a gentle smiling Tohru looking up at him. "Thank you." The dog smiled.

"You're welcome, Tohru-kun."

Kyo stood outside the room in the hallway, listening to Shigure comfort Tohru. She really had been worrying about Yuki ever since she found out about the 'curse'. Kyo wished that he could do something to help ease her pain, but he wasn't sure _what_ he could do…

* * *

"How are you going to tell them about the cure?" Hatori asked as they turned onto the dirt road that led to Shigure's house. Yuki looked out the window, his eyes meeting the darkness around him, and gave a sigh. He put his hand in his pocket and lightly touched the folded paper that he had longed to have since he saw it. 

"I don't know. I'll get straight to the point, I suppose," he replied. "There's not much to do other than that." Shigure's lighted house came into view, and Yuki's nerves acted up. It was the fact that both Tohru and Kyo knew of the curse that started it. How was he going to look them in the eye now? He didn't want them to think he was so weak; especially Kyo, as he had always criticized him on everything. The car came to a halt and Yuki reluctantly got out and slowly walked to the door, with Hatori right behind him.

It seemed like an eternity to turn the knob and actually get inside, though in reality, it only took seconds. At first, he didn't see anyone around and slightly hoped that they weren't there. Yuki didn't exactly know why telling them the cure felt like he was actually telling them the curse. He should have been completely happy that he could get a chance to live. It was just that something deep inside him said that there was complete danger ahead.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru's vivacious voice brought him back to reality. She entered the hallway from the living room and ran forward. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around Yuki, keeping a slight distance between them so that he wouldn't change. He could tell that she was on the verge of crying, but he couldn't exactlysee why. Though, he desperatly wanted her not to cry; it pained him to think of her doing so. Slowly, she pulled away and gave him and Hatori a smile. Just then, Shigure popped into the hallway, greeting them back.

"Is something wrong, Yuki-kun?" Tohru asked, staring at him with concern.

"Actually, I have to tell you all something," Yuki replied.

"I'll go get Kyon-Kyon," Shigure said, and hurried upstairs to fetch the Cat. Yuki, Tohru, and Hatori went into the kitchen and took a seat next to the table. Tohru studied Yuki's face, hoping to find out what was bothering him.

'_Maybe he found out the cure!_' she thought happily, while giving herself a small smile. However, it soon faded when another thought crossed her mind. '_What if he actually didn't find it?_' At this, Tohru's eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall in front of Yuki.

Shigure and Kyo finally came downstairs and into the kitchen. Kyo paused for a slight second at the sight of Yuki, but quickly took a seat at the table.

"Well, since you guys already know the curse I have…" Yuki started as he looked at the faces of everyone. Tohru's eyes slightly widened, but Kyo stayed the same: bored and half wanting to leave. Yuki then continued. "Hatori took me to the Main House so I could get the cure for it." Tohru stared at him intently, quietly breathing so that she wouldn't miss what he was about to say.

Yuki again reached into his pocket, and pulled out an old piece of paper. The air in the kitchen went still, and it felt as if no one in the room was even breathing. He unfolded the paper and stared up at everyone.

"Of course, I _did_ find it," Yuki said, skipping the detail of the whole story. He set the paper in the middle of the table. "It's quite interesting."Shigure, being the first to actually move, picked the paper up gently, as if it would crumple into little pieces if he handled it like regular paper. He slowly read it before finally reaching the bottom, to which he gave a confused look, along with wide-eyes. He looked at Kyo before he read one important part of the paper.

"'The Rat, in order to be freed from death, had to lose in a fight against the Cat.'" He stated, and everyone looked at Kyo, who froze right in his spot. Hoping he had heard wrong, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Shigure.

"So, Kyo has to win against Yuki?" Shigure asked, and Hatori nodded. So he heard right... Something he always wanted to do for as long as he could remember was brought up… and in a life or death situation, too.

_'Could things be more complicated?'_ Kyo thought, still in disbelief. _'This has got to be a dream…' _The worse part was that it indeed wasn't a dream; it was reality.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Haha, Yuki's not good at making announcements XD 

I made Akito so mean to Yuki T.T I'm so cruel! BUT DON'T WORRY, I drew a tiny picture of his nasty little weasel face on an egg with permanent marker, and I smashed the egg good. Real good.

And hey, Shigure-san was there to comfort poor little Tohru-kun! He's so sweet :3 And I hope that nothing in this chapter confused you. It almost did to me, and I was writing it .;; So if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

**Yukyoru**- Yup, the cute confession! Too bad I was unable to make it longer T.T There'll be more Yukiru later though!

**Moonlit Maiden**- Wow, no mistakes…? I typed that chapter up fast, too . I'm not sure how Tohru would react to that, either, that's why it took me forever to complete . XD

**MegTao**- Thanks XD I guess Kyo will have to practice harder if he's going to have to beat Yuki .

**kishe**- Thanks for the review! I'm getting in time to write the next chapter already XP

**sanka**- Yes, I agree, it's a bit rushed .;; I'll slow it down a tad without making it seem like it'll never end XD And a happy ending, eh? Maybe… Maybe not… but that's part of my many plot mystery (sneaks away in the mist of night) XP

**mistic fox**- Ahh, my cliffhanging ways _should_ take a break, shouldn't it? Thanks for the comment!

**o.oxanimefreakxo.o**- lol That's what I thought when I started this story. Yuki's too strong for Kyo! I also thought it would be interesting to read, so I went with that anyways .!

**Maple Chan**- He might be. He might not. Mysteries, they are truly annoying, hm? Thanks for reviewing!

**Steff7**- Thanks so much for the review! I'm glad you like my story!

**Kitsune Vampire Moga**- Thank you! When I thought of that to be the cure, I laughed at myself and thought 'brilliant!' It's weird that idea came to me, actually O.o Thanks for the comment!

**crimsonsun-rk**- Ah, yes, good point! The longer he waits, the weaker he gets; true, very true. We'll just have to wait and see how he handles it! And thanks for the review!

**anime-lover-4-ever**- Yes, they'll both have to do something to get ready for this fight. Thanks for the review!

**QueenOfHearts3**- Ahh, lots to answer to . Yeah, Hatori's plan was a bit lame. He couldn't think of anything better. I mean, his original plan was to stampede in there and just tare the house apart XD Yuki and Kyo's fight will surely be interesting, yes; and those possibilities made me have a long 'me time' because I had to sort out what to do. If Ohh, you must not have liked how Akito treated Yuki in this chapter, then .;; He'll get his soon, though ahaha! Thanks for the review!

Thank you, my dear reviewers!

Well.. (mutters) Why I think writing in a notebook then transferring it to the computer is a good idea, I don't know. I do it anyways, though :3

Until the next…

**TBC**


	10. It All Comes Together

**Chapter 10: It All Comes Together**

**Author's Note: **Sorry I didn't get this out sooner .;; I was so busy this week. I'll try to update sooner! Also, there's a bit of a cute Yukiru scene! So cute it was hard for me to write (I'm just like that XD)!

* * *

"**So, Kyo has to win against Yuki?" Shigure asked, and Hatori nodded. So he heard right... Something he always wanted to do for as long as he could remember was brought up… and in a life or death situation, too.**

'**_Could things be more complicated?'_ Kyo thought, still in disbelief. _'This has got to be a dream…' _The worse part was that it indeed wasn't a dream; it was reality.**

**

* * *

**

"Wait…" Kyo said slowly. "_I_ have to beat _you_ in battle? A _fair_ battle?" Like Yuki, he, too, was amused by the whole situation. Of course, the shock was by far greater than anything else. Yuki nodded and glanced of at Tohru to see her reaction. Her eyes were diffuse as she gazed at both Yuki and Kyo.

"Looks like you'll have to train a little harder, doesn't it, Kyon-Kyon?" Shigure said, smiling. The fact that Yuki had actually found the cure was more than enough to cheer him up. Tohru was also smiling to herself, as if a tremendous storm had just passed.

"This is great!" Tohru said happily. "Now we can get Yuki-kun cured!" She took Yuki's hand into hers and he smiled down at her. However, something about this whole thing bothered him; it seemed too easy. True, Kyo has never won a battle against him, but to have that be the way Yuki gets to live? Although suspicion floated through his mind, Yuki couldn't help but to be happy. It was all worth a shot, to have a chance of being back to his regular self.

"How long do I have to train?" Kyo asked, looking between Hatori and Yuki.

"Only a couple of months," Yuki answered. "I would say around six. Seven if you're lucky." Kyo raised an eyebrow at him while Tohru looked at Yuki questioningly.

"Why only that short of time?" she asked him, slightly tilting her head. _'That's right, she doesn't know I only have until I'm in the middle of being eighteen,'_ Yuki thought as his heart started to sink. Though he didn't like the idea of telling her he had only a short amount of time to live, he had to be truthful towards her.

"That's how long I have," Yuki said quietly, but it was heard well enough, as the house still with silence. Shigure bent his head down so he was unable to see the expression Tohru, and even Kyo, now had on their faces.

"Yuki-kun," Tohru said frightfully. Her eyes were gleaming with loosely flowing tears and her lips were quivering. She knew he was, though hard for her to admit, going to die, but she didn't know it would be so soon…

Yuki put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her as close as he could. He hated seeing her cry, and it was all because of him. If he didn't have this stupid curse, none of them would have to go through all this. Hatori, who had been sitting by watching sympathetically, finally cleared his throat when the two slightly pulled away.

"I think you all should get some sleep," he said as he got up and straightened his clothes. "You should rest on this; it was a lot to take in with a short amount of time."

"Yes, that would be a good idea," Shigure finally said as he, too, got up. "It's getting late and you have school tomorrow." The atmosphere slowly regained it's normality as Shigure started laughing at his own stupid joke that he just told Hatori. He _did_ always find a way to make things right after something that could bring someone down happens.

"Alright," Kyo said vigorously as he got up. He pumped his fist and smirked at Yuki. "I'll finally be able to beat you, you damn rat!" He then started laughing at the thought of him actually winning after all the years of practicing.

"It's better to do than to say," Yuki said annoyingly. He had to admit that Kyo beating him was infuriating, and he probably wouldn't live it down for years. The Cat had a way of pointing out his own victories after he messes something up. As Kyo walked away, while laughing like a little 4 year old boy, Yuki looked over at Tohru, who had her head rested on his shoulder. He could already tell that she was awake, but her lack of movement worried him.

"Honda-san?" he whispered; his regular voice would have seemed too loud in the empty, hollow-like room. She looked up at him, and he was somewhat happy to see that there were no tears in her eyes anymore. Though, they were now puffy from crying.

"I'm afraid, Yuki-kun," Tohru said quietly. "What if Kyo-kun can't beat you? Or if you get too sick to even fight?" Yuki had never seen her like this; she was always smiling and trying to keep everything in order. However, he did know that everyone had their limits, and Tohru had reached hers.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Honda-san," Yuki said softly while giving her a smile. "Even if that Cat seems like he would be too stupid to even know what Martial Arts means, I'm sure he'll train hard enough to actually win." Tohru slowly nodded.

"He would try his hardest," she replied. "Even if he acts like he hates you, Yuki-kun, I'm sure he really doesn't." Yuki didn't know what to say to her reply. It was one of those statements that no one could answer. All he could do was stare at her, still smiling, and kissed her on the forehead. She ran her fingers gently through his hair, and sat up a bit more to kiss him tenderly on the lips. The warmth Yuki felt with her lips against his made his heart pound softly. As they slowly pulled apart, Tohru rested her head on Yuki's shoulder and closed her eyes. She never thought any of this would ever happen, but there she was, with Yuki's arm around her shoulder, holding her as close as she was able to get to him.

Yet, she never thought that Yuki could die so suddenly, and so young. However, Tohru refused to let any of that bring her down as it had earlier that day. She was going to be there for Yuki when he needed her, no matter what. There was so much love in her heart towards him that she felt as if nothing could tare them apart; and she was going to make sure nothing ever would.

* * *

"Hatori," Yuki came up behind the doctor as he was putting on his shoes to leave. He had excused himself from Tohru, though he did wish he hadn't, to get a chance to talk to Hatori before he left. "I have a question for you." 

"Yes?" Hatori answered without looking up.

"Well, tomorrow's the school festival, you know," Yuki started slowly, trying to pick his words carefully. "Since I'm the Student Counsel President, the school is expecting me to be there. It would be alright if I go, right?" He felt stupid having to ask Hatori to go to school, even if it was their day off, but he would get in more trouble if he had gone if he wasn't supposed to.

"Tomorrow?" Hatori repeated, finally looking up at Yuki. "How long is it?"

"It's from six until midnight," Yuki replied slowly. Even he himself was a little perplexed about why the student body made the hours so long, but then again, the festival _was_ a big deal. Hatori raised his eyebrow, indicating that he thought the same thing. "I'm feeling better, you know. It's like I wasn't even sick."

"If your temperature is lower than 100 Degrees, then you can go. However, if it is even just one point off from being less, you cannot go," Hatori said sternly. "Also, you better not work yourself too hard, like you did with just getting ready for it." Yuki nodded and headed upstairs to his room to get a good sleep. He wanted to spend the day at the festival with everyone else, and he wouldn't let his stupid little sickness get in the way of that.

* * *

Kyo punched his pillow as hard as he could, but it was no use. He needed to practice on something harder, or even someone. There was no way he could win against Yuki if all he ever practiced on was a small, soft pillow. 

"Argh, I can't believe I'm doing this," Kyo muttered. He needed to train harder in order to win, which by doing so would keep Yuki alive. That meant he needed to practice against someone who was just as good as, if not, better than, the Rat. Kyo knew there was only one person he could go to…

Kyo ran down the stairs and out the door before anyone could ask where he was going. He ran down the dirt tail and what seemed like forever, finally reached his destination. It had been days since he was last here, and it always left him feeling out of place, but he had no choice but to enter through the gates. Kyo ran around the paths, yet was careful to not be seen, and came to a dead stop in from of a large building that was so familiar to him. Without anymore hesitation, he took his shoes off and quickly headed inside.

A class had just ended, and as the kids started walking out, Kyo saw the person he was looking for, putting away the mats. As he caught his breath, he quickly got the older man's attention.

"Shishou, I need your help!"

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hello! Isn't it strange how all this story, it's only been 4 days since Yuki found out about his curse? I counted and though I almost failed Algebra, I am pretty sure the days are correct! But at least you can see how slow Yuki's days have been. A never ending nightmare, really. And just saying, Yuki's been getting all (or, almost all) these symptoms before he knew, he just thought of them as a regular sickness. Oh, and I'm sorry if the time of the festival seems long. They have shifts, so they aren't working all day! I'm also sorry this chapter isn't very long and full of almost nothing. However, the next one will be the longest (I mean, I'll make it long!) and it'll have some more info and stuff! 

And is it just me, or should there be more Yukiru cuteness (There is the festival mwahaha)? I don't want to make it took much, but not too little. Tell me what you think!

Thanks to my wonderful reviewers again!

**Sakura A. Moon**- Kyo has a lot to carry on his back, doesn't he? Life or death situation… involving his rival! And thanks so much for your comment! _That_ put a smile on my face! Thanks again!

**crimsonsun-rk****- **Nope, Akito didn't know. Suspected, but didn't really know. Now he does, though . Well, I don't think Kyo is really down on the idea of fighting Yuki, but he is kind of nervous, with Yuki being sick and all. And you're right! It would have been cute if Tohru did that! I was tempted to add it, but.. I don't know why I didn't .;; Thanks for the comment!

**MegTao****- **Ahh, thanks so much for the comment! I hope the next Fruits Basket story I post will be good XD Thanks again!

**Yugata Tenshi**- Thanks soo much for the comment! I'm glad the description got better, I wasn't really sure if it did (hearing it from someone else makes it a lot better to understand XD) P.S Nice name .

**Maple Chan**- Thanks so much for the review! It put a smile on my face hehe! I'm glad you like it!

**Yukyoru**- Yes, isn't Shigure-san sweet? I wish I knew him… but alas, I'm American… and I'm 3D.. XD. Thanks for the comment!

**kishe**- The next chapter will be long, don't worry! I wanted to make this one long, too, but I had no ideas. Thanks for the review!

**Steff7**- Sorry I didn't update sooner, but the next chapter will be up as soon as I can get to it! Thanks for the review!

**anime-lover-4-ever**- You know, when Halloween comes around, painting Akito on a pumpkin and throwing it in the street would be real cool (laughs evilly) ahh, but there's 6 months until that. Anyways, thanks for the comment!


	11. I Didn’t Mean To Worry You

**Chapter 11: I Didn't Mean To Worry You**

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry it took so long to update! But like I said, this is a long chapter! Probably the longest I've ever written, all stories, Fruits Basket and others, included! I just wanted to smack myself for making the last chapter so short. Sorry if some of the Yukiru scenes were too fluffy, cutesy, and gooey, I just wanted to get some good stuff in there. This story is part romance, after all. YUKIRU ROMANCE! Well, I hope you like!

* * *

"High school girls, high school girls, all for me, high school girls!" Shigure started to sing loudly as he pranced around the house in his kimono. Though it was only 8 O'clock in the morning and the Kaibara School Festival was in 10 hours, Shigure wanted to get up and ready earlier. The dog entered the kitchen, still singing, and saw Tohru, as usual, preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, Tohru-kun," Shigure said in a sing-song voice.

"Good morning, Shigure-san!" Tohru said, half smiling. Yesterday's events still lingered in her mind, but she was trying hard to not think of it. She just had to keeping thinking that everything would turn out alright. "I can see that you're looking forward to the festival?"

"Oh, yes," Shigure said smiling. "High school girls as far as the eye could see!" Not a moment after he had said that did a fist come hurling towards Shigure's head, and the contact sounded through the kitchen.

"Ow! Yuki-kun, that wasn't very nice; it hurt!" Shigure whined as he rubbed his head.

"Well, stop being such a pervert, then," Yuki said, sitting down at the table. "You're out of luck if you think we'll bail you out of jail if you get arrested at the festival."

"You make me sound as if I have no decency," Shigure whined, but he suddenly stopped, as if he just remembered something. "You seem a lot healthier then you have been lately. Your punch _was_ hard."

"I got a good night sleep, that's all," Yuki replied. Of course, he didn't feel as well as he looked. His throat was killing him and he felt light headed, but that wasn't important. He wanted to go to the festival to spend some time with Tohru, and those two little things just didn't matter. Besides which, his temperature was regular, so in all honesty, Yuki should be able to go.

"Well, Haa-san's still coming over to make sure you're ok," Shigure said as he sniffed at the aroma of the food Tohru had just made. Kyo then came in, half limping and sore.

"What's wrong with you, Kyo-kun?" Shigure asked as he gave him a confused look. "Did you fall out of bed again?"

"That only happened once, and I was just 6!" Kyo yelled as he sat down at the table. In all honesty, the Cat had spent 5 long hours practicing with his Shishou, and for nonstop. When Kyo went to Shishou for help, he gladly gave it, but not without question.

* * *

_"Why are you willingly helping Yuki?" Kazuma asked, though he was smiling. "Not that anything is wrong with it; no, not at all. It's just that you hated him practically all your life."_

_"Yeah, well, I don't want him to_ die," _Kyo grumbled. A while back he may have said, many times before, that he wished Yuki would disappear or die, but he never really meant it. However, there was no way he was going to admit that aloud to anyone else. "Besides, I don't want Tohru to get all upset." Kazuma smiled before replying._

_"Well then, we better get started."_

_-_

He was going to head over to the Dojo at Noon, since the festival was later in the day. They all sat down to eat the delicious breakfast Tohru made.

"So what booth are you working on, Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked as he practically shoved the food in his mouth.

"The onigiri booth again this year, from 6-8," Tohru said, smiling. "I'll have to make some extras before we go, though."

"I'll make sure to buy some!" Shigure said as he swallowed his food. "You're doing something, too, aren't you Kyon-Kyon?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT," Kyo yelled loudly as his face contorted into a sour look. "Actually, _I'm_ doing the best thing there!"

"Yeah, he's doing the ribbon booth," Yuki said as he got up to put his empty dishes in the sink. Then he added the last bit with sarcasm, "The festival would be nothing without that booth." Kyo gave Yuki a glare.

"It's not a 'ribbon' booth, you damn rat, it's a… a…" he paused and thought about what was said. It really _was_ just a ribbon booth. There was an extra place to put something, and the students decided to put ribbons in that said booth. Since Kyo didn't sign up to help with anything at that time, he ended up with the ribbons, and for four long hours.

"Exactly," Yuki said, his voice indicating the obviousness of the subject.

"Yeah, well, at least I'm helping out!" Kyo yelled. "What are _you_ doing?" Yuki, and even Shigure, raised an eyebrow at the stupidity of the question. Kyo even gave a look of revelation. They all decide, no matter how foolish the question was, to leave it alone and go on with their business.

As soon as everyone was finished eating and left the room, Tohru, who sat quietly almost the entire breakfast, happily listening to the conversations, started washing the dishes. She was silently humming to herself peacefully as she scrubbed the plates. It was then that she felt a hand come down gently on her shoulder, soon followed by the familiar, calming voice she was so use to.

"Here, let me help you with those, Honda-san."

"Thank you very much, Yuki-kun," Tohru replied with a smile as Yuki took a dry dish towel and started wiping the wet dishes. They both worked in silence, yet a comforting presence surrounded them. Yuki could slightly hear the smoothness of Tohru's breath, and he could feel his heart beat rhythmically.

"You know, I didn't get a chance to say good morning to you," Yuki said in a half whisper. Before Tohru could answer, Yuki bent down and gently kissed her on the lips. The moment seemed to last forever for Tohru, though in reality it was just a short, sweet kiss. He seemed to have a special ability to make her feel weightless, happy, and, of course, weak in the knees.

"Oh ho ho, young love blossoms, and in my very own kitchen!" Shigure stood in the doorway, laughing light heartedly. Yuki took his now damp dish rag and threw it at Shigure, hitting him square in the face.

"The abuse I suffer each day," Shigure whimpered. He scooted back out the door to avoid having something else thrown at him, and Yuki turned to Tohru, who was a deep shade of red. He decided to change the subject so she could feel a bit more comfortable.

"Would you like to go to the Secret Base when we're done, Honda-san?"

"Oh, yes, I would love to," she said, smiling at him warmly.

As they finished up the truck load of dishes, mainly courtesy of Shigure, Yuki and Tohru put on their shoes, grabbed some gloves and a bucket for whatever was ready to be picked, and headed towards the Base.

"I think the strawberries are ready," Yuki said. "The leeks might be, as well."

"That's wonderful," Tohru said, smiling. "I love strawberries!" Yuki laughed lightly and then took Tohru's hand and laced his fingers with hers. Blushing, though still smiling, Tohru took a glance at Yuki. She was happy to see that he was looking better than he had been the last few days, but she knew this curse was far from healing. Besides which, he may have looked healthy on the outside, he might still feel sick on the inside. Tohru shook the thoughts that made her so nervous and worried out of her head as the Base came into view. When the completely reached it, Yuki bent down and looked at the strawberries.

"Yeah, these are ready," he said with a smile as he placed the basket down next to him. "Do you want to pull them up while I take out the weeds, Honda-san?"

"Sure," Tohru replied kindly, and bent over the strawberries. Yuki took out the gloves in his pocket and started pulling up the weeds. Every few minutes he would glance up at Tohru just to get a good look at her. She seemed so peaceful and at ease that it put a warm smile on Yuki's face. However, he still felt sick and moving his head up and down so often made him feel a bit dizzy. He would have to remind himself to take something for it when they get back home. Even his throat was starting to itch, and he had to try and keep from coughing. Although it was harder to do then it seemed. Before he knew it, Yuki started coughing simultaneously.

"Yuki-kun, are you alright?" Tohru asked him worriedly. She got up, kneeled down next to him, and gently put a hand on his back. Yuki's coughs slowly decreased and he took a deep, calm breath. Tohru was still staring at him with big, worried eyes. "Yuki-kun?"

"Sorry, Honda-san," Yuki said as he cleared his throat. "My have gotten something caught in my throat."

Tohru gave him a questioning look. She had a strange feeling that it wasn't because of that, but that it was part of the 'curse.' Tohru hated seeing him so sick, on the inside and out, and her eyes became watery. Before she knew it, she threw her arms around Yuki's neck. Tohru refused to let the tears fall, but she couldn't help the fact that they were still there. She knew that Yuki still had time to get better, and Kyo was already practicing a lot.

"Honda-san, I'm sorry if I worried you," Yuki said as he put an arm around Tohru, though being careful not to get too close that he would change. "I'm fine, really." Tohru slowly pulled away and wiped away the tears in her eyes with her sleeve. She gave him a small smile and nodded. There was no need to get so emotional; not yet. For now, she was going to try to not get worried. Yuki and Kyo wouldn't give up until the very end.

* * *

As Yuki and Tohru headed back home with a basket of strawberries, they saw a car already pulled up next to the house. Yuki instantly knew whose car it was and gave a sigh.

_'Of course,'_ he thought irritably as they both entered through the door. They took off their shoes and went into the kitchen, where they could hear people talking. Sitting at the table drinking tea was Shigure and, as Yuki had suspected, Hatori.

"See, Haa-san? I told you I didn't lose him!" Shigure said in triumph. Hatori rolled his eyes and looked at Yuki.

"How do you feel this morning?" he asked, looking at the silver haired boy somewhat suspiciously. He needed to make sure that Yuki was actually feeling well, and not lying just to go to the festival.

"Fine," Yuki replied. "I checked my temperature earlier and it's normal."

"Let's make sure!" Shigure said, and before Yuki could react, the dog shoved the thermometer in his mouth.

"Don't make him choke to death, Shigure," Hatori warned. After a few minutes Shigure pulled it out and Yuki gave a small cough.

"Yep, it's normal!" Shigure said as he shoved the thermometer right in Hatori's face. The doctor pushed it away and gave the dog a slightly annoyed look.

"Alright," Hatori said as he got up. He pulled a box of medicine out of his pocket and gave it to Yuki. "Take 2 of them before you go to the festival. It will give you some strength to last through all that pressure. I'm also going to be there…"

"Everyone's going!" Shigure said, acting like a five year old. He got up and stupidly danced around the table as if it were New Years.

"…To make sure everything goes alright," Hatori finished, ignoring Shigure's immaturity. Yuki nodded, as there was no reason to disagree. He only hoped that they don't closely follow him since he was feeling perfectly fine. Hatori then left the kitchen with a small wave.

"See you in 8 hours, Haa-san!" Shigure yelled after him before turning to Yuki. "You'd better get some rest, Yuki. We don't want you getting sick!"

"But I _don't_ feel sick," Yuki argued annoyingly. "And I'm not tired."

"Now, now, don't whine about it!" Shigure said, shaking a finger. He got up and finished the tea he was drinking. "It's not mature to whine, dear little Yuki! Now, I better get my pages done before Mii comes crying in front of my door." Before Yuki could say anything about how Shigure was _always_ immature and that he was even older then he was, the dog rushed out of the kitchen and into his room.

"Yuki-kun," a voice from the refrigerator turned his attention away from the annoyance of Shigure's actions. Tohru was putting the strawberries in to keep them fresh, but she was looking at him in slight worry. "Before we go to the festival, could you take a little rest? I mean, I'm not trying to force you, of course. It's just…I don't want you getting sick." Yuki looked at her for a few seconds before smiling gently at her and giving her a nod. Maybe he could rest, even for just a little bit. He just didn't want to worry Tohru anymore then she already was.

* * *

"Hurry up, you two!" Shigure said as he stood by the door way, all ready to leave. Even though the festival was in an hour, Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo had to be there early to get ready.

"Shut up, you stupid dog, we're coming," Kyo said as he came into view carrying a small box of supplies for his booth. Yuki was behind him with a clipboard tucked under his arm.

"Ok, let's go!" Shigure said, and he rushed out the door in hurry to see, as he calls it 'the creativity of the school.' They all knew, however, that he just wanted to see the high school girls, being the pervert that he was.

"Let me help you with those, Honda-san," Yuki said when he saw Tohru carrying two medium sized boxes.

"Oh no, it's fine!" Tohru said with a smile. She didn't want to load him with a useless box of onigiri.

"It's no problem," Yuki said. "I don't have anything to carry." Tohru hesitated before giving him one of the boxes. After making sure they had everything, Yuki and Tohru followed after Shigure and Kyo to the school.

When they got to the festival, there was already a crowd of people, but most of them were student workers. Shigure went off to look around as Kyo went to his booth, saying that he didn't want to be seen with a bunch of girly ribbons. Yuki and Tohru headed to the onigiri booth and put the boxes down on the table.

"Thank you very much!" Tohru said gratefully. Yuki gave her a smile and helped her unpack the rice balls. She had many different flavored ones in multiple colors and shapes. They smelled delicious and Yuki was sure that the onigiri booth would to the best, as he had already suspected.

"I should go help the others get set up in time," Yuki said as he saw, in a distance, Haru and Momiji trying to hammer up a sign to their booth. Seconds later Haru started yelling at the rabbit, and they both lost their balance and fell off. Yuki turned away and gave a sigh as he rubbed his temple. He shook his head, turned back to Tohru and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, telling her that he would see her later. Tohru watched Yuki walked off to help the troubled Haru and Momiji.

"Be careful," she whispered, and started getting her booth ready.

* * *

As soon as the festival began, a crowd of people came roaring in. Though big groups of people were likely to start, one bigger then normal combined together in front of one particular booth. Of course, what was there would have surely attracted them. Kyo stood in the middle of the booth, steaming with complete anger. The girls that were working the booth with him got the idea that to sell their ribbons they would need an advertisement. Surely a guy wearing pink, red, and all kinds of assorted ribbons in his hair would attract people.

"Get these damn things off me!" Kyo yelled at the other booth workers. He didn't like the fact that he was looking girly in front of so many people.

In the distance, Yuki was walking around, looking to see that everything was going alright. He saw the crowd and wondered over in curiosity. It was then that he saw the ribbon booth and had an idea of who was causing the slight commotion. When he saw Kyo, he couldn't help but let out a short, small laugh.

'_Not a dress, but good enough,'_ Yuki thought as he smirked at the Cat. Now he was the one being embarrassed in front of practically all of the student body, and more.

"This is worth a shot," a voice from behind him said, and Yuki turned around. Shigure was standing there with a camera in his hand, laughing devilishly. What made Yuki groan in slight annoyance was the person standing next to Shigure: Ayame. Before the silver haired boy could duck out of the way, his older brother pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

"Dearest brother, I haven't seen you for 2 days!" he said, but was quickly pushed away by an aggravated Yuki. "How have you been?"

"Until now, perfectly fine," Yuki said sarcastically. Ayame just laughed it off and patted Yuki on the head, as if he were a little child.

"Yuki," Hatori came into view. "Are you still feeling well?" Yuki gave a nod as his answer.

"Sohma-kun!" a few of the Student Counsel members called for him as they stood near one of the booths. "We need your help real quick."

"If you'll excuse me…" Yuki said, and as he walked away, Hatori's voice sounded in a warning way.

"Don't overwork yourself, Yuki."

Yuki, of course, knew better than to do that. He would do a few things here and there, but he wouldn't do too much, as he didn't want to faint and worry Tohru… again. After Yuki finished putting up one of the shelves that fell off in the booth, he decided to go see Tohru, as it was about time for her to be finished. There was a crowd in front of the onigiri booth, and Yuki had to carefully squeeze his way to the back of it. He saw Tohru standing at the side getting ready to leave. With a sneaky smile, Yuki quietly went up next to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh!" Tohru said, startled, then she laughed when she saw who had kissed her. "Yuki-kun, you scared me." She gave him a warm smile, which she reserved just for him. "You're not working _too_ hard, are you?" Yuki put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I haven't," he promised, and he remembered the plans. "Now that you're off, do you want to look around for a bit?" Tohru nodded happily and they scooted passed everyone. They walked around the booths hand in hand. The lights that were now on, as the sun started to disappear, illuminated Tohru's face and Yuki felt his heart beat rapidly. He couldn't for the life of him think of why she loved him as he loved her.

The two stopped at a booth with different kinds of little decorations and jewelry. Tohru let out a small gasp and picked up something that was lying in the corner of the booth table. IT was a locket in the shape of a heart with small flowers carved on the front.

"This is so beautiful," Tohru whispered as she held it delicately, as if it would break at any moment. Yuki smiled at her and kissed the top of her head.

"You really like it, hm?" he whispered to her. "It would look even more beautiful on you, though." Tohru met his gentle face with her questioning eyes. "Let me buy this for you."

"Oh, no, I couldn't let you do that!" Tohru said quickly as her cheeks turned red. Yuki laughed and reached into his pocket for some money.

"I insist," he said, and gave the money to the worker before Tohru could protest anymore. "You know, I'll be doing this a lot now. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Tohru said with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Thank you so much Yuki-kun, you don't know how much this means to me." She gave him a kiss on the lips and hugged his arm affectionately. Yuki held back a cough so that he wouldn't ruin the moment; he didn't want to be bothered with his curse tonight, not while he was with Tohru.

* * *

Kyo finally escaped the crowd of the girls who were ogling at him and threw off all the ribbons. Having Shigure taking pictures of the whole scene made the situation even worse. Now his shift was finally over and he wanted to get as far away from the festival as he could. Kyo decided to take a walk by the edge of the school property to get some fresh air.

* * *

Yuki and Tohru walked away from the crowds of people and went by a tree to be alone together. Tohru held the locket in her hands and gave a sigh of happiness.

"You truly are a prince, Yuki-kun," she whispered to him, and he bent down to kiss her passionately. He ran his hand gently through her hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck, yet making sure their bodies didn't touch. Small fireworks went off in the sky, slightly lighting the area around them. Little did they know that a certain orange haired Cat had walked by, stopping in complete shock at the scene he was now witnessing.

* * *

**Author's Note**: I made Shigure wacky, didn't I? Well, he's a wacky character bwahaha! I'm sorry if anything in/about the festival is wrong. I don't know much about this stuff because I'm uneducated like that. Plus, I gave Yuki a break today; made him as healthy as he'll be. Towards the end there's a bunch of Yukiru fluff, isn't there? I read a story where Yuki and Tohru were together… but it turned… different. Why didn't they label it as… yaoi! (cries) I think I'm traumatized. But it did make me write lots of Yukiru, I guess XD. Now to my awesome reviewers!

**crimsonsun-rk**- Yuki had an easy day, the stuff Hatori gave him really helped him out. If he didn't take it, something would probably happen, yes XD. However, Yuki can't have that good of luck forever. And you're right; the cure is too easy mwahaha

**Yukyoru**- I hope I put in enough Yukiru! There was going to be more but I was afraid that I'd make this chapter _too_ long. But this isn't the end, so be prepared for Yukiru cuteness

**yvonne**- thank you so much! Sorry for the wait; I will try to update as soon as I can!

**kishe**- I hope you liked this chapter because it's longer, so I did write more! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible.

**Sakura A. Moon**- Hope you liked the Yukiruness! There's going to be more, too XD! And I'm sorry for not updating right away (cries like Shigure)

**Steff7**- Yes, I know what you mean. If the chapters good, it's worth waiting for. Thtanks for the comment!

**Catherine b**- Thanks so much! Yes, Kyo beating Yuki… very high stakes there. But you never know, miracles happen, maybe he'll get one XD

**MegTao**- Shishou will try his hardest. He's just too awesome to fail! Now, Kyo getting into the Zodiac… who knows, yet XP

**Yugata Tenshi**- Yes, it really is hard to update, but at least this chapter is long! And I will read your Fruits Basket fanfic as soon as I can (has much to do but will read it asap!)

**Tochi Kitsune Moga**- It's not crap, don't worry XD It's a good idea! But I think they might have killed each other during the practice if they were to get annoyed with the other. Plus, Kyo's too proud to let Yuki teach him lol.

**Maple Chan**- Thanks so much for your review! I hope you liked this chapter; it's longer then the last XP

**white-rosekiss**- Thanks so much! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but it's a long chapter full of Yukiru romance! I hope you liked it!

**sai-chan**- They were in support of Yuki/Machi? (eyes widen) What is the Fruits Basket world thinking? (starts getting teary eyed) Yuki should be with Tohru! Machi's no use in Fruits Basket, indeed! Well, thanks soo much for the review!

Until the next

**TBC**


	12. It’s Just Not Your Purpose

**Chapter 12: It's Just Not Your Purpose**

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry if I did something wrong with the fighting. My knowledge lacks in martial arts, and I'd lose to Haru the first second of the match. Gomen (and Gomen to the icky title)! And thanks for the 107 reviews, everyone! The most I've ever got in my fanfiction career!

**-**

**Small fireworks went off in the sky, slightly lighting the area around them. Little did they know that a certain orange haired Cat had walked by, stopping in complete shock at the scene he was now witnessing.

* * *

**

Kyo's eyes were now unfocused, and his head was spinning. He couldn't believe what he was seeing… Tohru and that damn rat… kissing. When Ayame had shouted that Yuki told Tohru he loved her, Kyo didn't bother about it. He thought the snake was lying and just being his annoying self. Now, though, he knew that it _was_ true. His hands clenched together and he did the only thing he _could_ do: run.

Kyo didn't know where his legs were taking him, but he didn't care anymore. He passed through the woods and found himself on the streets of an almost empty neighborhood. Most people were out at the festival, enjoying themselves; most but him. Kyo leaned against a brick wall and breathed angrily before running off once more. This time he knew exactly where he was going, and hurried his pace. The only place where he could release the anger he was now having, where he could just sit and be alone to think.

As Kyo entered the dojo, his heart somewhat settled. It was better that he was here; it was all too familiar to him. However much he felt better, Kyo's anger was far from gone.

"Why? Why do I always have to lose everything to that damn rat!" Kyo shouted as he punched the wall next to him, leaving a small indent. "No matter what I do, I'll never be able to beat him in anything!" His fists grew tighter and he hit the wall once more, but with less force. His anger was slowly melting away from how his physical strength was acting, and it was more in his heart then anywhere.

"Well, you seem to be pretty angry," a voice from behind him said, and Kyo turned around, already knowing who was standing there.

"What gave you that idea, Shishou," Kyo said through gritted teeth. "I thought I was alone. Why are you here so late, anyways?"

"I could ask you the same question," Kazuma said, sitting on the floor. He looked back up at Kyo with slight worry in his eyes. "You've mentioned Yuki…what's bothering you so much about him?" Kyo didn't answer him, as he was lost for words. He really didn't want to go into what he lost to the rat.

"Is it about Tohru-san?" Kazuma asked quietly causing Kyo to turn back to him. It was more than likely noticeable that Tohru was exactly what it was about. Losing a battle wouldn't bring him to the dojo as angry as he was at the moment. Kazuma didn't need an instant verbal answer to his question; Kyo's look and his lack of denial was enough for that.

"Shishou, why do I always lose to him? Is that just part of the curse; the cat losing to the rat?" Kyo asked as he leaned against the wall for support.

"No, I wouldn't say that," Kazume replied thoughtfully. "Sometimes you will just need to work harder. Other times, it's just not your purpose to win with something… or someone." Kyo stared at the wall across from him and tried to register what he was told; it was relevant in some sense. However, it did not change the fact that it still had happened, and he knew that Kazuma could tell. "Still angry, I see. You know what helps?"

Kyo shrugged, though he thought nothing would help; at least not now. Even so, before he knew it, Kazuma threw a fist at Kyo, though he dodged it easily.

_'How could_ this _help?' _Kyo thought, somewhat irritated. He was expecting something a bit more... sensible. Nonetheless, Kyo would not back out of a battle. He punched back, but Kazuma quickly moved his head aside and swung his foot out at Kyo. He stumbled but was able to keep his balance and decided that he needed to go for a tougher move, which he had been practicing for a while, if he wanted to beat Shishou. Kyo moved to the left as if he were going to attack on that side, but at the last minute he changed direction by jumping to the right and running as fast as he could. Kazuma was surprised at the change and gave a smile.

'Kyo has really been practicing,' he thought, but just as the orange haired cat was about to attack, Kazuma quickly moved out of the way, took his foot, and swung it at Kyo's feet once more. Only this time did Kyo fall onto his front side. He slowly rolled over onto his side and sat up calmly.

"Well, what do you know… I feel a little bit better," he said, and it was true; he really did feel better then he had earlier. Of course, it wasn't as if he was completely better, nothing could work that fast on him, but he doubt that he would put another indent in the wall again.

"I'll tell you this," Kazuma said as he helped Kyo up to his feet. "You've really improved. I think you have a chance at finally beating Yuki. Just a bit more practice and you are sure to win, and end all of this mess that's been happening."

"But I haven't won against him before, Shishou. What's going to change that now?" Kyo asked, surprised at what was told to him. Kazuma smiled at him and said, very convincingly,

"Things change, Kyo. They always do."

* * *

Being that it was almost midnight and the festival was about over, Yuki and Tohru headed back to the booths to find Hatori, Shigure, and, though slightly to Yuki's dismay, Ayame. Hatori had earlier told them to meet so that he could check up on Yuki and see if he was doing alright. Yuki had in fact felt perfectly fine throughout the day, but now it was catching up to him and he couldn't wait to get home and rest. Tohru seemed to have noticed Yuki's change and carefully watched him to make sure he was doing alright. 

After only a few minutes of searching, Yuki and Tohru found Hatori, but there was no sight of Shigure _or_ Ayame.

"Glad to see that you loom well," Hatori said as he took out a small box of medicine from his pocket; the same ones that he gave to Yuki earlier that day. "However, that means nothing to how you feel inside. Now, before you go to sleep, take…"

"…Two of these and two when you wake up," Yuki finished, and held out his hand for the box. Hatori looked slightly surprised; that was exactly what he was going to say. Yuki saw his look and shrugged with a small sigh. "I'm getting use to all of this." Hatori gave a somewhat grim nod.

"I understand," he said as he put the box in Yuki's hand. "Sooner or later, Yuki, you won't have to take these anymore." He quickly glanced around the slightly empty festival area. "I don't know where everyone went, so you two should head home, it's getting late."

"Oh, Yuki-kun, I need to talk to Hatori-san real quick," Tohru said before they started to leave. Yuki nodded with a warm smile and Tohru went up to Hatori, who was also on his way home.

"Hatori-san, can I speak to you for a moment?" Tohru asked quietly, so Yuki wouldn't overhear. Hatori looked over at her and gave a look that told her to continue on, as he was now listening. "Do you think Yuki-kun should practice his martial arts, as Kyo is? So he could get some practice before they really fight?" Hatori thought carefully about what he was asked.

"Well, we don't want him getting sick," he said slowly. "However, we want this to be a fair battle for him to be cured. If he doesn't practice, that might count the battle as not being justified. Tomorrow he could practice, but only a little. We don't want him to get any more sick." Tohru nodded, understanding Yuki's position and how he should stay as healthy as he could. As the two started to leave, Hatori said one more thing, almost too quiet to hear.

"Don't forget, Yuki."

But how could he?

* * *

The Sohma house had its lights on, indicating that Shigure or Kyo were home, or it could have possibly meant that someone had broke in, whichever came first. Yuki only cared that, if they _were_ robbed, his bed was still securely in his room. He felt so tired, even somewhat dizzy, that his thoughts of a robbery sounded silly. 

However, when Yuki and Tohru entered the house, they, or at least Yuki, since it was his own thoughts about being robbed, knew that it indeed wasn't a stranger; just someone strange.

"Little brother!" Ayame said as he got up from his place at the table. It was apparent that he was drinking tea with Shigure and was also awaiting their arrival. "I've barely been able to see you for one whole day!" Yuki, doing the only logical thing he could think of, stepped aside from his brother and went into the kitchen to get some water so he could follow Hatori's instructions. After he took the medicine, Yuki walked passed Ayame, said a good night to Tohru, who was putting away her things, and headed up the stairs. However, his attempt at escaping from his older brother failed, at which Ayame followed him up.

"That's such a good idea, Yuki! You need your rest, after all!" he said happily. Yuki stopped right in front of his door, turned around, and gave Ayame an annoyed look.

"What are you doing here, anyways? Don't you have a _home_?" he asked.

"Of course, but it is too far away. I am just too tired to travel so far at this time of night!" Ayame replied, still smiling. Yuki raised his eyebrows, not the least bit amused, and closed his door without answering. "Bonne nuit, petit frère!"

* * *

When Yuki headed downstairs the next morning, he accidentally ran into Ayame, who seemed like he had planned the encounter. 

"Why are you still here?" Yuki asked, trying to keep from yawning. He was very tired, which was nothing out of the ordinary for him. With that being said, Yuki stumbled on the stairs but Ayame caught him before he completely fell.

"Ah, little brother, what would you do without me?" Ayame asked while laughing. Yuki, deciding not to answer, continued his way downstairs so he could take his other set of medicine. Shigure and Tohru were already up and just about to eat breakfast.

"Good morning, Yuki-kun," Tohru said, with a smile, as she saw him enter the kitchen.

"Good morning, Honda-san," Yuki replied, but the morning was far from good. Especially since the first person he saw was Ayame. Not to mention that he had a pounding headache and a slightly burning throat. Hopefully the medicine Hatori gave him would work on those. When Yuki sat at the table, he noticed that the only noise he heard was Shigure and Ayame's meaningless chatter. It just seemed too quiet, even with the two rowdy 'adults.' That's when he noticed one of the, should be, five was missing.

"Where's the stupid cat?" Yuki finally asked.

"He's at the dojo; has been all night," Shigure replied, now taking a sip of tea. "Kyon-Kyon's probably practicing. You know, Yuki, you should, too, just so you don't get rusty." Yuki raised an eyebrow and Shigure gave him a smile. "You want the battle to be fair, right? Not that you have to practice long (we don't want you getting sick!)." Tohru had earlier talked to Shigure about her conversation with Hatori, and he volunteered to tell Yuki.

"Oh, I can help you!" Ayame cut in joyfully.

"**No**." Yuki said as he quickly finished his food. He put his dishes in the sink and headed for his room while saying, "I guess I can practice for a little bit, then."

When Yuki had retreated into his bedroom, he decided to work on some simple moves; such as his punches and kicks. It was true that he was a bit rusty; Yuki hadn't practiced in a week. As a target, he marked his wall with tape to how high his kicks should go and he tried to aim for it. A few times he got it, but he also had some misses. His headache was really bothering him that when he punched, his head throbbed with pain, however small it was.

Yuki felt that his moves were getting just as weak as he was. He decided to take a short break and get his act together.

_'If I don't get back to how I use to fight, then the Cat will surely win without_ any _complications…_' Yuki thought blankly. He didn't know if it was a good thing Kyo would win, or a bad. Anything could be counted as unfair, and Yuki was unsure of what would be …

* * *

**Author's Note:** I am SO sorry that I haven't updated. I've barely been home all week, no lie. But I promise that I'll get the next chapter up, I really do! Now… two things: 

**Bonne nuit, petit frère**: _Good night, little brother._

Now my reviewers:

**MegTao**- 'Tis true, Ayame should be around, but have no fear, he'll be around some! And yes, fanfics with Tohru being able to hug Yuki (unless AU) is kind of … I dunno. But Tohru didn't hug him traditionally; they kept their distance XD Thanks for the review!

**bummedoutchick**- mwahaha, can't tell you what happens XP but I understand, I cry when Yuki dies in stories T.T I'm glad you like my story!

**crimsonsun-rk**- Indeed, Shigure is carefree! He's so cool, I'm really glad he's wacky, and nutty, and crazy, and all that! I'm kind of mad at Kyo right now (you can't have Tohru, silly cat!), so I kind of mad him have a bad day ;;; but I made him happier in this chapter! Thanks for the review!

**shiawasehigurashi**- I agree with you; they're special in their own way. But I'm for Yuki/Tohru XD but yes, Kyo's special in his own way. Thanks so much for the review!

**Steff7**- Thanks for the review! Kyo was a bit upset, still is, but he's also feeling a bit better so that's good!

**Yugata Tenshi**- Yes, I've been mean to Kyo in the last chapter. I'll give him something to make him feel better. I was just mad at Kyo when I wrote that. I'm less mad now XD Thanks for the review!

**kishe**- haha, he should've yelled that! But he's the jealous type. I'm surprised he didn't run up and punch Yuki! But I couldn't do that to him! Thanks for the review!

**Maple Chan**- You areeee? I'm more of a Yuki fan, and I was mad at Kyo when I wrote all that… I hold grudges XP;;; but he's better, especially after this chapter! And I totally agree, there _was_ a lot of kissing, I'm not good at fluff. Trust me, I laughed when writing that stuff; I don't know why XD. Thanks for the review!

**QueenOfHearts3**- He got a bit jealous, indeed XP He's feeling somewhat better now, though. Thanks for the review!

**Tochi Kitsune Moga**- You're welcome! I'm glad you like the romance, I wasn't too sure of it XD;;; The yaoi story, well, maybe that's why they didn't put a warning on it. But they should've (washes out eyes). And I'll update sooner next chapter! Thanks so much for the review!

Until the next... **TBC**


	13. ‘You’re Planning Something’

**Chapter 13: 'You're Planning Something'**

**Author's Note**: (squeals at her new Fruits Basket manga, Volume 9) (…cough…) I'll keep this short, so to start out, I'm sorry for not updating sooner! I'm still being loaded with projects, and I'm having a hard time to fit writing into my schedule. But have no fear, the chapter is now here! Enjoy!

* * *

**Yuki felt that his moves were getting just as weak as he was. He decided to take a short break and get his act together.**

'**_If I don't get back to how I use to fight, then the Cat will surely win without_ any _complications…_' Yuki thought blankly. He didn't know if it was a good thing Kyo would win, or a bad. Anything could be counted as unfair, and Yuki was unsure of what would be …

* * *

**

Yuki stretched his arms before he got back at his practicing. So far, he was at it for 2 hours but was very disappointed at how everything was going. It started to get frustrating after missing all the targets so many times; it actually became embarrassing in some way. Yuki took a deep breath, concentrated on his mark, and kicked at it as hard as he could. To his great disappointment, his aim was far off but the fact that a cheery voice followed didn't help.

"Wow, little brother, you really suck!"

Yuki slowly turned around, his eyes flashed with a fiery glow. Ayame was in the doorway, shaking his head with his usual annoying smile.

"Why are you still here?" Yuki asked as his eye slightly twitched. "Seriously, do you not have a house?" Ayame laughed and waved his hand carelessly.

"Of course I do!" he started, walking up next to Yuki and putting an arm around his shoulders. "You've been stuck in here for such a long time! Tori-san wanted me to check up on you."

"Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine, so stop bugging me," Yuki said, a slight annoyance ringing in his voice. Ayame was about to reply, most likely about something unnecessary and stupid, but Yuki was already pushing him out of his room. "Since it seems you have a house, maybe you should go to it." He then slammed the door in his brother's face. Yuki let out a sigh of relief and sat on the floor, against his wall.

As much as Yuki wanted to throw Ayame through the roof for his stupid observations, the rat really couldn't help but agree with him. He did, as Ayame had put it, really sucked.

Ayame stood outside Yuki's door, even though it was closed… and, more then likely, locked. This whole situation was unnerving; Ayame never thought it would happen to anyone in the family, let along his younger brother. He just hoped that Kyo would be able to beat Yuki, since, as much asAyame hatedto admit, that was the only thing he coulddo. It was all up to Kyo to help Yuki... or everything would become a hollow shell in the Sohma's life...

* * *

Kyo sat in his room, concentrating on beating the rat as easily as he could. Kazuma told him that by doing this, it would put his mind in the right spot, and he would be able to do even better in fight. 

However much he wanted to concentrate, Kyo couldn't help but go out of mind and think about the whole situation. He really hadn't been able to since he was pretty much told that Yuki living or dying was up to him. All his life he had despised Yuki, but… the fact that he could actually die didn't make him feel anything but pity.

_It's all his fault! It's all his fault!_

Kyo always blamed Yuki for the hardships in his life. Whether it made sense or not, he always accused the rat for his bad luck. Now that he thought back on it, a lot of those things _weren't_ his fault, as much as he hated to admit it. Yuki had it just as hard as he did, but Kyo treated him like he was stuck up and had everything he always wanted. Years ago, Kyo would have been thrilled to hear about the 'curse' only excluded to the rat. Heck, he probably wouldn't have practiced at all; that, or very little just to spite him.

_I'll kill him and then I'll kill myself!_

Kyo shook his head in frustration. He never thought clearly when it came to his thoughts about the curse. With a sudden surge of energy, Kyo jumped up and pumped his fist.

He'll show them all that he wasn't some selfish little kid. No, he was far from it now; he was mature (for the most part), and he was going to practice for however long he could, before the time is up, and he would beat Yuki and everything would be back to the way it was before the whole mess of the 'curse' came around.

Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, Kyo didn't want Yuki to die… not at such a young age. No one… _no one_… deserved that kind of fate.

* * *

Shigure slowly walked down the ghastly hallway, in search of the one door full of more eerie feelings then the house alone. He wanted to know more about this whole curse set on Yuki, and there was only one person who knew… that one person, who hides so many secrets and never reveals them until it's just too late to do anything about it. Though however much it sickened him to some degree, it was quite scheming in Shigure's eyes. 

He finally reached the door and knocked lightly. Without much delay, Shigure entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Akito…" Shigure said, noting his presence to the younger Sohma as he kneeled down on the floor. The head of the Sohma family was seated next to the window, against the wall. A bird sat gracefully on his finger, chirping quietly before flying onto the window sill.

"What brings you here?" Akito asked calmly, tearing his gaze from the floor to Shigure, who had to hold back a smirk at the diabolical boy. _'Pathetic,'_ the dog thought viciously, then cleared his throat.

"I'm sure you're already aware of that," he said, his voice almost being unrecognizable.

"How is he today?" Akito asked, unmoving to his spot. Shigure knew that once he said that everything was alright, Akito would comment poorly on it. Either way, he was more than likely to insult the situation.

"From the last time I checked, he is fine," Shigure finally replied.

"For now, he may be," Akito said, almost viciously. Shigure quietly sighed in frustration at Akito's answer; he was, however, expecting that kind of thing to begin with. "I have doubts that the Cat will be able to win… even so, if he does, by luck of course, it doesn't mean anything will change. The fact remains that every single thing has to be fair. _Everything_. One screw up and it's the end of the Rat."

Akito got up and stood right in front of the window, staring out at the graying sky. Clouds had formed and, like a blanket, covered the sun, making it completely disappear.

"This will be very interesting," Akito said with a smirk on his face. "Very interesting indeed. I'm sure it will be one interesting, single battle." Shigure raised an eyebrow and stared at Akito's back, which as now facing him. The tone in the Head's voice sent a shiver down his spine, and it made him wonder aloud, to Akito, about what Shigure was now thinking…

"You're planning something."

"Only time can answer that, Shigure," Akito said with a sneer, as the bird hopped back onto his thin finger. "Time… and months."

* * *

Yuki decided he should stop his training for today, considering he was doing so horribly. Not only so, but he was beginning to feel dizzy. It wasn't worrying him, however, since it would go away after a few minutes. 

"That medication must be starting to wear off," Yuki muttered to himself as he sat on his bed. To confirm his thought, Yuki suddenly put his hands over his mouth and started coughing violently once more, which caused a tremendous headache to crop up, as well. When he calmed down and took away his hand, he saw blood on them just as he had the last time he coughed so violently.

However, what made him worried about it this time was that there was more blood. To add to that, his throat felt as if it was ripped in half from the coughing. Yuki slowly got up and tried to head towards the door, but everything was starting to get hazy.

_'Not again,'_ Yuki thought, since he couldn't find his voice. _"Why won't this just end?'_ His knees began to feel shaky and before he knew it, they gave out on him. Clutching his throat, since he was beginning to have complications with breathing, no doubt from his asthma, Yuki tried to move but with no luck.

_'Only a few days and I'm already at the point of which I have no control over how to feel,'_ Yuki thought bitterly. He closed his eyes and tried to at least get control over his breathing. To some avail, he was able to breathe somewhat comfortably, but Yuki still had a lump-like feeling in his throat, indicating that the asthma could easily come back.

Yuki lifted his arm to try and heave himself up, but barely managed. He could hardly stand straight, but he was up nonetheless. With all the strength he could muster, Yuki headed towards his door and, with only slight difficulty, slid it opened. However, that was all he was able to do before his vision became more dark than blurry.

_'Oh, this is just great. Déjà vu. This has been a terrible day,' Yuki_ thought, and if he could make any sound, he would have laughed sarcastically. Before blacking out once more, a last thought entered Yuki's head.

_'Being a Sohma really sucks.'_

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope you liked this chapter, I'm not sure what to think lol. But oh dear, Yuki! Get some help, why don't ya? (sigh) You just better hope someone comes along and saves you! Anyways, I'm pretty sure there will be two-three more chapters now… unless… hmm.. well, (sniff) It's been great, writing this. (starts balling her eyes out) It's like watching your child go off to college. OH DEAR! 

Oh, yeah! I'm making a new, long Fruits Basket fanfic; Romeo and Juliet style! Yuki's Romeo, Tohru's Juliet, so on and so forth! I have 3 pages done so far XD I'll be posting it right after I finish this fanfiction! Please check it out! Now to my reviewers, who I appreciate SO MUCH:

**crimsonsun-rk**- I agree with you on the brothers part. They are there to annoy you, and make fun of you even. I wish I had Ayame as a brother, though XD. And chapter 79, I'm not sure. I've read scans but I wasn't keeping track on what happened what chapter, but I think I've read about her. And stupid Akito . I've also somewhat read about Momo and Momiji.. now, Uo and Tohru and Kureno, I'm not sure I've read.. man, the manga seems to be getting depressing T.T well, thanks for the review, I really appreciate it!

**Sakura A. Moon**- That would be the perfect, fairy tale ending, Yuki and Tohru, being able to be together. Then there's Disney, who kills, or already killed, someone off. Kyo better work his butt of, huh? FIGHT, KYO, FIGHT! Thanks for the review!

**Haruka Akira****-** thank you very much for the nice comment! I'm really glad you like this! Yukiru is, indeed, the best couple Fruits Basket could (_better_) have! Thanks again XD!

**Animefreak**- Sorry for the wait again, school is against me. But I'm trying hard to find time to write. Thanks for the review!

**shiawase higurashi-** Kyo indeed helps Yuki, and will try his hardest to win, win, win! Like he said, Kyo might not admit to it but he doesn't want Yuki to die… cause I'd smack him (XD) and Kagura just _might_ make an appearance XP And thanks for the review!

**MegTao**- Nopers, luckily, the rat's curse isn't contagious XD It would suck, I agree, if it was contagious, but it's only confined to the rat. Poor Yuki T.T Thanks for the review!

**Maple Chan**- I'm mad at Kyo because he's getting too close to Tohru for my liking. Yuki should be with Tohru, not Kyo! But otherwise, I'm perfectly fine with him XD Luckily, Kyo controlled his anger and fights, cause yes, we don't want to lose Yuki, do we :O He's too sweet! And I'll check out your story as soon as I can find the time (it ran away from me XP) though, I am a big Yukiru fan and only that. Thanks for the comment!

**white-rosekiss**- Ah, it's not sad that you haven't written any Yukiru's. I've loved that couple for ages and now I finally decided to write about the. Thanks for the review!

**Catherine b**- Kyo had no clue they were together (he didn't believe Ayame when he shouted about it through the house). It was quite a shocker for him, though, believe me. Thanks for the comment!


	14. Fair Battle?

**Chapter 14: Fair Battle? **

**-**

'**_Oh, this is just great. Déjà vu. This has been a terrible day,' Yuki_ thought, and if he could make any sound, he would have laughed sarcastically. Before blacking out once more, a last thought entered Yuki's head.**

_**'Being a Sohma really sucks.'**_

**-**

A load snore crept from the silver haired man's mouth when a small thump woke him from his slumber. Ayame lazily opened his eyes to remember that he had fallen asleep outside Yuki's room against the wall. It was unintentional, of course, and if Yuki were to walk out and find him there, Ayame would have surely been thrown through a wall. However, that wasn't what he was concerned about a split second later as his mind wondered off to the reason he was awakened. The thump sounded as if it came from inside of Yuki's room, plus the soundlessness of the area gave it away. Ayame got up and was about to slid open the door only to find that it was already opened. Yuki was unconscious on the floor, just inches away from the edge of the doorway. Before Ayame could do or say anything, Shigure suddenly popped up from behind him.

"I thought I heard something," he mumbled as he and Ayame, lifted Yuki onto his bed.

"How did you hear anything from all the way downstairs?" Ayame asked as Shigure pulled out a box of medicine from his pocket, in case of emergencies, such as the one that was now occurring.

"I'm the dog of the zodiac; I have excellent hearing," Shigure said calmly. Ayame raised an eyebrow and gave a sigh. Of course Shigure didn't have excellent hearing; if the roof of the house were to be ripped off, he wouldn't even hear the slightest whistle of the wind. Or he would just ignore it, whichever came first. Now noticing the look he was receiving, Shigure gave a defeated sigh. "Alright, alright, I was worried. Nowadays we all have been. I was just coming up here to check on him." Ayame nodded, understanding completely. After all, he felt the same way. The only thing they could do, as hard as it was to admit, was watch Yuki suffer. Luckily, the least they could do was help him not be subjected to a lot of pain.

"He has a fever," Shigure said when he put a hand on Yuki's forehead. He was starting to breathe regularly, but he still had an anguished look on his face. Ayame left the room quickly to get a wet towel to put on Yuki's forehead. To his luck, he was able to avoid Tohru; he didn't want to tell her about Yuki. AS Ayame filled up a bowl of cold water, he thought about how worse his younger brother seemed to have been getting and let out a shaky sigh. If things were starting to go down hill already, they wouldn't have much time to practice before Yuki would become too sick to fight. The water started to over flow in the sink, which brought Ayame back out of his thoughts, and he started to head back upstairs, careful not to spill any of the water.

"Should we call Tori-san?" Ayame asked as he carefully set the damp cloth onto Yuki's burning forehead.

"He seems to be fine," Shigure said, but shook his head. "Looks can be deceiving, though. We probably should, as a precaution." He got up to call him, leaving Ayame to watch over his young brother. It was almost hard to even look at him without a shudder… he was so sick, and Ayame couldn't do anything. It was almost as if Yuki was a child again, and the one time he needed help, Ayame pushed him away. Now, when he needed help, Ayame couldn't give it. Though he would have gladly gave Yuki all the help he could, if there was any. That was the only thing different. Ayame actually wanted to help, he wanted Yuki to be safe… he cared that Yuki might die. To know you can't offer anything but advice wasn't very pleasing.

Ayame looked away from Yuki and back towards the door. He could just barely hear Shigure finishing his conversation with Hatori over the phone. Footsteps then sounded through the hallway and Shigure came back into the room.

"Hatori's on his way," he said as he took a seat on the floor. Ayame gave a solemn nod and took another glance at Yuki. He was almost as white as a ghost, but his face was slightly flushed.

_'Hurry, Tori-san,'_ Ayame thought with slight worry. He was probably overreacting about Yuki's current situation, but Ayame would rather have Hatori look over him… just in case.

* * *

"He should be fine now," Hatori said as he put his syringe away. He arrived fifteen minutes ago and had to give Yuki a shot of medicine, since he was still out and couldn't take the pills. "Yuki seemed to have overworked himself. He has a fever of 102 degrees, and he might be too weak to move when he wakes up." Hatori closed his bag and stood up, as did Shigure and Ayame. 

"How long do you think he'll be out?" Shigure asked, taking a slight glance at Yuki before returning his gaze to Hatori.

"A few hours, two or three perhaps," he replied, also taking a look at him. He was still discolored, but the medicine would start to work soon. "Have him take the medicine I gave you in the morning. He should be able to last until then." Shigure nodded as he out the new medicine away. "How's Kyo doing with his fighting?"

"I'm not sure," Shigure admitted with an uptight shrug. "He hasn't said much, but then again, he's not here too much anymore. I'm guessing it's going well." Hatori nodded and headed for the door, and said as he left,

"Let's hope he's able to challenge Yuki soon, before he becomes too weak to fight."

Tohru stood by the stairs when she heard Hatori speak, and gave a shudder. She was wondering what the commotion was, and now that she knew, it made her stomach turn. Every time the 'curse' was brought up, Tohru couldn't make herself think that everything would be right. The thoughts of everything going wrong flashed through her mind each time, and more so as the days went by. Tohru shook her head to try to get the thoughts out and let out tired sigh.

"Don't think about it," she said to herself as she started to put the laundry away. Tohru forced a smile onto her face. "Everything will be just fine."

* * *

**Six Months Later**

Kyo kicked a target on the wall that Kazuma put up, and let out a victorious smirk. He had been able to hit the exact spot every time he kicked at it, and he was able to for a few months.

"Good, Kyo," Kazuma said with a smile. For the past few months, they have been practicing everyday for at least five hours. It was exhausting for the both of them, with Kazuma going against Kyo whenever they thought up a new strategy. Now, however, Kyo was completely concentrated when he was about to battle, and didn't just punch and kick in anger.

Nonetheless, Kazuma had an odd feeling about the situation; something just didn't seem right. Shigure had told him Yuki practiced everyday, like Kyo, but for not as long, considering his condition. How he said it made Kazuma wonder if Yuki was even healthy enough to be under so much stress and work.

"Shishou," Kyo's voice came, and Kazuma turned to him with a smile that told Kyo to continue. "Do… do you think I'm ready?" He looked as if thought he wasn't, but that was far from the case, it almost made Kazuma laugh.

"Actually, I do," he said with a slightly bigger smile when he saw Kyo's face light up. "Besides, we should probably set this up soon, before Yuki gets _too_ weak."

"Today, maybe?" Kyo asked with so much enthusiasm, it was almost like a child asking to go to the park.

"Just what I was thinking," Kazuma said with a nod. "Let me get a hold of Shigure and we can get this all ready." Before he left the room to set everything up, Kazuma turned back to Kyo with a smile still plastered on his face. "You're definitely ready, Kyo. I'm sure you can end this whole thing today, and everything will be back to how it's supposed to be."

* * *

"Why, exactly, are we having the battle _outside_?" Yuki asked as the wind blew hard against his face. Ever since he last fainted, which everyone was trying to keep from happening anymore, Yuki had been taking it slightly easy. He felt bad when he had to miss school because of a high fever, or because he was feeling uncoordinated. Yuki didn't want to make anything different just because he was sick; he wanted to try to live as normal as he had always been, but with the 'curse', he was having difficulty in doing so. 

"There's more room out here," Shigure said with a smile. "Besides, I don't want you two ruining my house. It's getting colder so I really need to have a working door." Only two others were outside to watch the outcome of the fight, other than Shigure. Tohru stood by, just listening to the conversation with a blank look in her eyes. Today was the day that would tell if Yuki would live or die, and it made her more nervous then she ever had been. Hatori was there, standing beside Shigure, to help Yuki if something happened; this whole thing would surely stress him out. Ayame, however, wasn't there under Yuki's orders. He didn't want, as he put it, 'an annoying idiot' distracting him when he would be fighting Kyo. Speaking of said boy…

"Well, rat boy, are you ready to fight?" Kyo's voice came from the trail to Shigure's house, and the orange haired cat appeared, followed by Kazuma. Yuki gave a smirk, along with a small laugh.

"Have been," he replied as he walked away from the others to an open area, where they could fight.

"Yuki-kun," Tohru's voice came over the wind and his thoughts and he turned to look at her. It was easy to tell that she was completely worried and a Yuki's eyes saddened at what he was seeing. "Please be careful." Yuki gave her a reassuring smile and nod before turning back to Kyo, who was now completely ready to fight.

"Get ready to finally lose, you damned rat," Kyo sneered, and without a seconds thought, both ran towards each other in fighting format. Yuki was the first to actually punch, and he barely hit Kyo in the shoulder. He tried to punch once more, but Kyo completely dodged it and kicked his foot out in hopes of tripping Yuki. He succeeded in doing so, but Yuki quickly got back up.

The fall to the ground knocked the wind out of the Rat, but he had to keep fight; everything needed to be fair. If only his vision wasn't so hazy…

**'**_I've got to make this fair,' _Yuki thought as he quickly blinked to clear his vision._ 'I just need to act as if it was an everyday battle…' _

Kyo punched his fist at Yuki, which caused him to stumble backwards. Yuki quickly retaliated and kicked at Kyo, hitting him in the stomach, but not knocking him down as Yuki had always once been able to do. The Rat cursed when he felt himself get a headache, and shook his head, in hopes of it just being a sore spot that would go away. However, it didn't at all, and he had let his guard down and before he could react, Kyo kicked Yuki in the stomach, and he went flying into ground. Yuki tried to get up, but he was too sore to even move his arms.

"You…" Yuki started, breathing heavily. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had to… it was only fair. "You won… stupid cat. You finally… won." Without hearing a reply, Yuki completely fainted once more…

**-**

**A Few Hours Later**

Yuki was in his bed, unable to breathe normally, and looked as if he was in much pain. Hatori stood over him with a syringe and stethoscope. Instead of getting better, as he was suppose to, he seemed to be getting worse.

"Why isn't he getting better? Kyo beat him in battle, he should be fine!" Tohru cried as she gently held onto Yuki's warm hand. It was slightly shaking, but she was positive half of that was from her own hand. "This shouldn't be happening, he didn't win, he lost!"

"Yes, he did, but do you really think it was even a fair battle?" An eerie voice came from the door and everyone turned around to see the only person who could have such a cruel voice: Akito. He stood there with a smirk, leaning against the door frame. "I mean, is fighting against someone who is sick really _fair_?"

**- **

**Author's Note:** I'm terribly, TERRIBLY sorry I didn't update sooner! For some annoying reason, fanfictions wouldn't let me sign onto my name, and I couldn't post T.T arrgghh… but it's alright now, no hard feeling fanfic XD And no, Tohru didn't know Yuki had fainted, she only heard the one thing Hatori said. Otherwise, she would have been right by his side. AW XP!

_(sigh) _I had a pleasant dream where at the end of the manga, Yuki and Tohru get together. Splendid, that dream was XD. Anyways, there's only one more chapter left! Graduation for this fic, going off to a better life as a college student! (Don't ask, I'm just sad that this story is almost over T.T) I'll update soon, I really will.

**whiterose-kiss**- Well, the battle is over with but… uh oh, more problems arise! Well, thank you so much for the review!

**Rose**- Ahh, I remember when I didn't know who'd go best with who. Then I read this wonderful Yukiru story and I just got hooked. But man, those couples you mentioned really are weird lol. Thanks for the review!

**inu-yuki lover100**- Aww, thanks for such a nice review! And I even screeched about Volume 13. How does he say it? And is it before or after Machi and Yuki get _(shudders)_ close? I heard that in the latest chapters, that Kyo and Tohru are getting close _(angry face)._ Ahh, I'm so eager. All I have is Volume 9, and I'm anxiously awaiting Volume 10. Stupid Tokyopop XD

**crimsonsun-rk**- Oh, yes, guys at school are always perverted, especially high school guys. Wow, I wonder how Ayame, and Shigure for that matter, acted. That's real scary, really. Hm, and I dunno, Akito is pretty sneaky, you never know what he's going to do. And yes, I'd choose Hatori as God any day over Ayame and Shigure. But in my eyes, Hatori is God (such a fan girl I can be XD) And I'm glad you think the Romeo and Juliet, Fruits Basket style story isn't lame XP but it's going to be hard to write (since it is to read) Thanks so much for the review!

**Animefreak**- I agree with you! Poor ickle Yuki! He's having a bad .. er.. week, actually. Now months. I'm so mean XD! Thanks for the review!

**mistic fox**- (huggles Yuki) I've got to be nicer to him, shouldn't I? Thanks for the review!

**Maple Chan**- Thanks so much for your wonderful review! And if your story ends up as Yukiru, mwahahaha, I'd be most pleased. Yukiru, no matter what the storyline is, always put a smile on my face (which means Kyoru makes me want to go Godzilla on everyone) And I would join a Kyo fanclub, only I'd be more into Yuki's ahaha! I, too, am a fan of both kind of stories, though I'd rather it be happy and not have me being depressed if something bad happens. I just hope my ending doesn't sound bad .;;

**ennov**- I like the way you think! Killing Akito off would solve almost every problem in the Sohma family! Thanks for the review!

**fanofFB**- Thanks for the nice review! I hope I updated soon enough, I kept getting writer's block :O

**OfPiratesAndElves**- Thanks so much for the review! Sadly, there is only one chapter left after this one, though. SERIES FINALE!

**MegTao**- I hate when fanfics (mainly Fruits Basket) end, yes… BUT it's better than fanfics that are never continued (I haven't updated so many of my other fics in such a long time I just might never update. I'm surprised, and pleased, that I stuck with this!) Oh, yes, and about Volume 9, the store I got it (and all my other volumes) at lets them out 1 week earlier than the publish date. Luckily, when I had enough money, that store (being Waldenbooks XD) had it out way earlier. I'm betting Volume 10 will be out at the end of June. Thanks for the review!


	15. It Just Can’t be Explained

**Chapter 15: It Just Can't be Explained**

Author's Note:_ (starts sobbing)_ All reviewers alike! This is the final chapter of "Never Too Late"! Questions will (…hopefully…) be answered, fears of the end will be resolved, I… will be crying because I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to stories and their endings! And I'm dreadfully sorry I didn't update sooner, I got sick for a few days . Well, let's cut the chat until the end.

* * *

"**Why isn't he getting better? Kyo beat him in battle, he should be fine!" Tohru cried as she gently held onto Yuki's warm hand. It was slightly shaking, but she was positive half of that was from her own hand. "This shouldn't be happening, he didn't win, he lost!"**

"**Yes, he did, but do you really think it was even a fair battle?" An eerie voice came from the door and everyone turned around to see the only person who could have such a cruel voice: Akito. He stood there with a smirk, leaning against the door frame. "I mean, is fighting against someone who is sick really _fair_?"**

**-**

"A-akito, what are doing… here?" Shigure asked, slightly taken aback. Akito held his smirk and slowly walked inside the room. He took a look at everyone there and then to Yuki, who was still in a state of unconsciousness.

"I came to see how the fight went," Akito finally answered. The smirk left his face, though hatred still filled his eyes. "Obviously, it didn't go well. That was expected."

"Expected?" Shigure muttered to himself, slightly confused, yet somewhat suspicious. However, Akito, nor anyone else, heard what the dog had said; instead, Kyo was the one to speak up loudly.

"Why is he like this still?" he asked viciously. "The battle _was_ fair, you bastard. Even if it wasn't, how would we be able to have a fair one if he was already sick to begin with? No one could help that!" Akito turned towards Kyo, and everyone in the room held their breath; no one ever dared to speak to the Head like that. What shocked them the most was the fact that Akito only smiled mischievously.

"He could have still fought a fair battle with you. Only, it would have had to be at the beginning, when his health was still somewhat there," Akito pulled out the parchment that had the curse and cure on it, but there were now two sheets, though this new thing went unnoticed bymost of the peoplein the room. "It's a shame, you know. If only I didn't, oh say, _realize_ this sooner. I would have been able to get this information to you earlier." Shigure stared at Akito, as if he was trying to see through him and his dark mind. Then it clicked; if only he perceived this months ago.

"So you weren't _planning_ something, were you Akito? You had _already_ planned something," Shigure quietly said, his eyes not leaving the now smiling boy.

"How'd you guess that?" Akito said sarcastically. "I suppose you could say that, though. I had not, in fact, planned on telling you about this when I first knew. What's the fun in that?" He let out a short, hollow laugh, but something about the way Akito was acting made Shigure even more suspicious about the whole thing.

_There was something else…_

"S-so, does that mean Yuki-kun w-will…" Tohru tried to finish the sentence, but was unable to let the words slip from her mouth. It seemed so final to say such a thing like that…

"Of course," Akito said in slightly pleased voice. Shigure was carefully moving his way towards Akito, now staring at the paper in his hand… "As I said before, it wasn't a fair battle, therefore Yuki will die. What a pity, too. I hope the new Year of the Rat will be worth it." Before anyone could react, Shigure reached out, snatched the pieces of paper from Akito's loose hand, and backed away from the now furious Head.

"How dare you!" Akito yelled, as he started to make his way towards Shigure. Before he had even gone two feet, Hatori and Kazuma firmly grabbed a hold of the young boy. "Traitors! Let me go!" Shigure quickly looked at the bottom paper, which only had, not even, a paragraph on it. He read through it twice so he could fully understand, and looked up at the struggling Akito with a smirk.

"You didn't win this time, Akito," Shigure said as he cleared his throat to read the paper.

_The battle should be planned within the beginning of acknowledgement of the curse. However, even if the battle is later fought, the Rat will take time to heal, but will so nonetheless._

"There are two things against you in this. For one, it says that 'the battle should be planned within the beginning of acknowledgement', which we _have_ planned since we found out. Besides, either way he'll get better," Shigure said with a triumphant smile. By then, Akito stopped struggling against, the now smiling, Hatori and Kazuma. "What were you planning to do, exactly? We'd know when he would be getting better. There wasn't a point in this." Tohru, who sat silently through the whole thing, looked between Akito and Shigure, and sometimes glancing down at Yuki.

_'Yuki-kun… you'll be able to live… you can to go back to being healthy again…'_

Akito glared at Shigure, but didn't answer right away. He then turned his stare at Tohru and the still unconscious Yuki. Everything he planned, everything he worked for… it was all going against him now…

_  
_"Akito, why did you want Yuki dead?" Shigure then asked. He expected Akito to stay silent once more, but was slightly shocked when Akito quickly turned his gaze onto him.

"He defied me, he was betraying the family name by being with_ her_," he barely was able to swing his right hand in Tohru's direction, as that arm was currently being tightly held onto by Hatori. Tohru looked at him, surprised that she was brought up so suddenly in the conversation. "Don't you think I _noticed_? It's my job to know what exactly goes on in this family!" Hestarted struggling against Hatori and Kazuma's hold, but was still unable to break free.

"Well, Akito," Shigure said with a smirk as he lightly moved forward. "I don't think you have any need to know what happens here… not anymore." Akito once again stopped struggling with the two older men and raised an eyebrow at what Shigure said.

"You have no right to tell me what to do," he said, narrowing his eyes. "_I'm_ the Head of this family, _I _make the decisions!" Shigure was starting to enjoy the scene Akito was putting on, and was even surprised Yuki wasn't awake yet, considering how loud the boy was being. Akito finally was able to pull free, but didn't move towards anyone; he just stood there, breathing heavily. "You won't be able to live without me, and you know it. You'll come crawling back to me on your hands and knees. It's not as if you can cast me out from this family." Akito, now notably angry, turned around to exit the room with the characteristics of a young child. Shigure, nor anyone else, couldn'tquite understand the way Akito acted… it was less violent from other encounters with the Zodiac members in the past. However, that was the last thing on their minds, when they all remembered about the paper in Shigure's hand.

"We should just keep this safe somewhere," the dog finally said. "When the next Rat is born in another five generations, they'll know what to do."

Hatori went back over to Yuki and quickly looked him over to see if everything was still alright. He put a hand to Yuki's forehead and gave a very small smile. "Everything looks fine to me. He should be up in a few days, maybe a week. Though, he'll probably still be a little exhausted, but that should be all."

"So this'll be all over with now?" Kazuma, who was mostly quiet since he arrived at the house, said. He was delighted that Kyo won against Yuki, because not only was everything alright now, but Kyo was able to do the one thing he wanted to do for ages. Even if Yuki was sick, they still both put up a good fight nonetheless.

"Yes," Hatori replied as he slowly got up. "After so many months, it's finally over." The amount of relief and happiness in the room couldn't even start to explain how everyone felt. Yuki was now able go back to normal and be healthy, and even Kyo seemed happy about this… though, it could have been because he wanted to gloat in front of Yuki about how he won. Nonetheless, no one could be any happier about how everything happened for the best for everyone.

* * *

Yuki grumbled in his sleep as he turned onto his side, his eyes still closed. For some odd reason, he felt extremely comfortable and peaceful. Slowly, Yuki thought about this much welcomed feeling that was now returning to him, and he felt very appreciative to a good sleep. However, that feeling soon left when Yuki's mind started to clear from his state of sleep. He hadn't had the feeling of being comfortable and peaceful, especially as he slept, forpractically six months; why was he feeling it now? 

_'Oh god, I'm dead!'_ Yuki thought frantically, afraid to open his eyes to seeany proof of it. _'I'm too young to be dead!' _A voice suddenly sounded, though it was a bit faint at first.

"Yuki-kun?"

That voice… it sounded much too familiar to Yuki. It sounded so welcoming, yet it also had a slight cautious tone to it. Yuki slowly opened his eyes to find what he expected; a blinding white light. Though, that very light slowly became dim, and Yuki could recognize his surroundings; the light came from the sun outside the window. Realizing that all the things around him were familiar, his brain slowly registered to the fact that he was indeed not dead. He looked up to his right and saw Tohru kneeling beside his bed, smiling.

"How do you feel?" She asked happily. Before he could answer, Tohru's hand went up to Yuki's forehead, and she gave an even bigger smile. "You don't seem to have a temperature anymore." Everything was going too fast for Yuki to have time to even think about it. How could he not have a temperature, when he practically had one every single day for several months? Not only that, but why was Tohru so happy? She hadn't been like _that_ ever since she found out about his curse.

"What happened?" Yuki mumbled before clearing his throat, since his voice sounded slightly cracked; it feltlike it was unused for months. "How long have I been here?"

"Well, after you lost the fight, you blacked out," Tohru explained, not knowing whether or not to be happy about the whole Yuki-losing part; he hated the fact thatKyo had to beat him in battle. "You've been hereout foralmost a week."

_A week… and he was still alive?_

"So, I really _did_ lose to him, huh?" Yuki asked with a small smile. He could barely remember the day that they had the fight. Tohru gave a nod to Yuki's question;he didn't really need to know about what Akito was going to do, at least, not yet. Besides, she just wanted to enjoy the fact that he wasn't going to die, and that she could still be with him.

"LITTLE BROTHER!" A high pitched voice sounded outside Yuki's room, and the door suddenly slid opened. Ayame stood there with a grin plastered on his face. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything, but when I heard that you lost, well, I just had to come!"

_'No you didn't…'_ Yuki thought with a shudder as Ayame joyfully laughed in a somewhat creepy tone. Then again, for now at least,Yuki was content, considering he was still alive. Just one day of his brother's immaturity wouldn't be too bad…

"You know, dearest little brother, I heard Kyon-Kyon really kicked your butt!"

_... but then again…_

Tohru smiled at the familiar scene, and enjoyed the fact that there would be plenty more of these similar fights from now on. Yuki turned back to Tohru after throwing a random object at Ayame, who just continued speaking and not paying attention to the things around him. He smiled back at her and gently took her hand into his.

"Ah, young love," Ayame said after he finished his half-heard speech about nothing. "Have you set a date for the wedding yet? Oh, I can make your dress, Tohru-kun!"

"_Wedding_? We're only 18 years old, you idiot!" Yuki yelled in complete shock and anger. Ayame ducked another object thrown by Yuki as if he expected it, and went on about setting everything up for the ridiculous and non-existent wedding.

Yes… now everything was going to be back to normal.

_Fin

* * *

_

**Author's Note**: (Sorry if the ending kind of… sucked XD) _(cough)_ Akito went crazy for a second there. I will no longer be like Shigure! I started classes to get my driving permit today, bye perverted-ness and lack-of-license, my Shigure counterpart is gone! Erm.. on to more important things… I am thinking of posting an 'alternate ending'. What do you guys think? Because, you see, I spent some sleepless nights, thinking about how to end this story. Well, I finally picked an ending, but the other is still in my head. Shall I write it down for you, so you can see what I was _so_ close to choosing as the ending? If I do, it'll be up in 2-3 days of .. now. And I'll be getting out some more Fruits Basket fanfics, please check them out!

Oh, and chapter 1, I said I'd explain what the title meant. 'He Wasn't' was used to say that: He wasn't meant to die so young. He, himself, was a good person, he didn't deserve to get the fate of the Rat's curse. (This chapter's title means that everyone's feelings about how Yuki's doing can't be explain, sorry for a not-so-good-title) Feel free to ask me any questions if I didn't answer them, Email me XD (wow I talk a lot mwahaha) To my lovely reviewers:

**Yugata Tenshi**- Ah, I completely understand. I've been busy too, that's why I haven't updated for almost 2 weeks .;; Well, Akito shall never be right again. Ever. He's too stupid and evil to be right. Thanks so much for your reviews!

**kishe**- Thanks much for all your reviews! I really appreciate it!

**Sakura A. Moon**- Sorry I didn't get this out sooner .;; But thanks so much for your reviews!

**crimsonsun37**- Akito almost planned the whole thing perfectly, didn't he? Trying to make everyone think Yuki will still die… but no, his (stupid) plan was foiled! I could never kill Yuki; I've never killed anyone in my stories (err, yet anyways.. and without the intention of bringing them back). And yes, poor Tohru, she already lost her parents, but then she almost loses Yuki… she's so strong, though! And yes, that dream was pretty awesome. Now I don't remember it as clearly… well, it's better then my first ever Fruits Basket dream… Yuki died in that one from being too sick.. Oh, maybe that's where my idea for this story came from? I just changed the ending to make it less sad! Ah well.. someday, Akito will be killed off… by a pack rabid hyenas. Thanks so much for your nice reviews!

**White Haru Sohma**- Ahh, I think everyone deserves Tohru, too (Just Yuki deserves her more XD). I decided to make it a happy ending, though if I were to change it to a sad one, I have it all pictured in my head. That's why I'm thinking of that alternate ending. Just for kicks (well, not in this case but you know… XP). Thanks so much for all your nice reviews!

**animefreak**- I'm sorry I was so late on updating T.T However, I was able to update under a month, new record on my fanfic endings.. or something! And I agree, Akito is cruel. He's a cruel little man. Thanks so much for all your reviews!

**MegTao**- Mwahaha, I didn't kill Yuki because if I did, I'd kill a part of me (I'm a fangirl.. a crazy, crazy fangirl). Thank you so much for all your nice reviews, I really appreciate it!

**whiterose-kiss**- Korea, eh? I wish I could go there (or anywhere, really). I've only been out of the U.S once… and I went to Canada . I hope you have (or, maybe by the time you read this, had) a good time there! And thank you so much for the reviews!

**QueenOfHearts3**- Well, Kyo's thinking about seeing more of Kagura, at least. Maybe she won't kick his butt so much if he treats her with some respect XD. I'm glad you liked the Yukiru moments, I was never the type to write a romance scene without laughing (which I did when I wrote some of these lovey dovey parts XP). I hope the fight scene was somewhat good, Yuki couldn't fight too long against Kyo, so it had to be a bit short T.T Well, thank you so much for all of your reviews!

Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, and/or putting this on your favs list. I _really_ appreciate it, thanks so much!


	16. Alternate Ending Life and Death

**Chapter 15: Alternate Ending- Life and Death**

**Author's note**: Here's the alternate ending! Actually, I like this one better then the first one, and it was my original plan; I just couldn't bare killing Yuki off! So, I'm pretty much going to say this is the original ending. Egad I blew it before. Ah well, you decide which you like best! Brother bonding, as well, if you can say that XD. Oh, and most of the _italics_ are Yuki's thoughts, unless I said otherwise.

* * *

"**Why isn't he getting better? Kyo beat him in battle, he should be fine!" Tohru cried as she gently held onto Yuki's warm hand. It was slightly shaking, but she was positive half of that was from her own hand. "This shouldn't be happening, he didn't win, he lost!"**

"**Yes, he did, but do you really think it was even a fair battle?" An eerie voice came from the door and everyone turned around to see the only person who could have such a cruel voice: Akito. He stood there with a smirk, leaning against the door frame. "I mean, is fighting against someone who is sick really _fair_?"

* * *

**

Akito walked in the room, still slightly smirking at the scene. Everyone's faces were so pale and dull that it looked like someone had just died.

_'Not yet, at least,_' Akito thought bitterly.

"Now that Yuki lost to an unfair battle, I'm afraid to remind you that he's still going to die. That _was_ what the curse said," Akito reminded with a smirk, looking at the boy in the bed. "He was too sick to fight fairly; you waited too long."

It was true… at the beginning of the past 6 months, Yuki had already turned 18, and now he was at the bad end of his 'curse'. He was much weaker, more than ever, and none of this seemed to occur to anyone. It was thought that as long as he was still alive, the battle could still be fought, and fairly. The curse never said otherwise.

"How careless you all were, hm?" Akito said, trying to hold back a laugh; everything seemed like a joke to him. "Then again, I should have told you about all this almost a year ago, when I found out. It slipped my mind, I guess. That's what you get when you disobey me." He then shot a despicable look at Tohru. He knew that they were together when he decided to take a visit to the festival, since he couldn't the previous year. That was only a few days after he informed Yuki about the curse, and he was thinking of telling him that he had so little time. After all, Yuki was his and _only_ his, as that was established years ago. "This new Rat better be _obedient_. "

"Why was that never explained?" Shigure quietly asked as he slowly looked up at Akito with fire-burning eyes. "It never said that we had a certain time limit, other than what would happen when he was 18 ½." Akito stared at the dog menacingly before laughing bitterly.

"You have to read between the lines," he replied. "Not everything's going to be so easy to decipher. Life and death is a pretty big subject that you should have been more careful about, anyways."

_'He's ridiculing us,'_ Shigure thought as he narrowed his eyes. Akito looked at all the people in the room before starting to turn around. Before he left, he looked over his shoulders, where only his now emotionless eyes could be seen.

"Isn't it March?" he asked, and though you couldn't see, his mouth formed a slightly saddened smile. Even though Akito despised how Yuki betrayed him and fell in love with Tohru Honda, he was still the Rat, and Akito did care in some way that the gray haired boy was going to die, considering Yuki _was_ his... But Akito wouldn't let anyone know, or see, it. Without saying any more, Akito quickly left the room to get away from the whole situation that he had practically caused.

The only one who started moving around was Hatori, who was checking over Yuki. Everything still felt so empty, after the news they just received. A sigh escaped the doctor's mouth as he looked up at the rest of the people in the room.

"I would say that he doesn't have much time," Hatori said solemnly. After a few silent moments, he continued in a slight whisper. "He might not even wake up before he-he dies." Tohru still held onto Yuki's hand as tears silently fell from her eyes and onto the sheets. She couldn't believe that everything Yuki, and Kyo, worked on for so long didn't change anything.

"I-I'm going to call Ayame," Shigure said softly while he slowly got up. As the phone started ringing, Shigure started to get nervous. How was he supposed to tell him that his brother was going to die? The ringing suddenly stopped and Ayame's vivid voice answered, though with all the thoughts in his head, Shigure barely heard his cousin even say anything.

"Ayame," Shigure started, trying to keep a civil voice. He promised himself that he'd act as normal as he could when talking to Ayame. Now, it was harder to do then he thought. So much harder.

"Ah, 'Gure-san, how is everything?" Ayame asked happily. "How did the fight go, hm?" Shigure paused and held his breathe.

Yeah, it was harder to do than he thought.

* * *

Yuki slowly, yet painfully, opened his eyes to the dimmed room. Even though there wasn't much light, it was still harsh enough to burn his eyes. He looked around at his surroundings, noticing that he was in his room, and saw Tohru's head on the edge of his bed, fast asleep. Though her eyes were tightly closed, Yuki could tell that Tohru seemed, in a way, a little upset. However, before he could concentrate more on Tohru's slightly concealed mood, Yuki suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot throughout his body. He stifled a yell, though the pain was so horrible that it felt as if his body was being shred into two. It then slowly began to subside, leaving Yuki breathing heavily. 

'What was that?' he thought tiredly. His eyelids started to get heavy, and just as he was about to unwillingly close them, the door of his room opened. Though at first he was unable to recognize who came in, as the figure got closer to his bed, Yuki could see that it was Hatori.

"So you're awake," he said as his eyes slightly grew wider from surprise. He then pulled out his bag, which was right next to the bed, and looked through it. Hatori took out a syringe and looked at its label. As this was going on, Yuki barely felt the bed shuffle and become lighter.

"Hatori-san?" Tohru's voice, the one thing Yuki was glad to hear, came from the side of his bed, where she was just asleep. Though he couldn't see her from his position anymore, and considering his body was still in pain from earlier, he couldn't find the strength to look at her as he wanted to. "Yuki-kun, you're awake!" She took his limp hand into hers, and held it comfortingly.

_Why are they so shocked that I'm awake…?_

Yuki wanted to ask so many questions, like why he still felt so ill when he already lost to the Cat, but he found that nothing would come out of his mouth but air. Now he was really starting to worry…

"Now, Yuki, you might feel, or already have felt, a sharp pain going through your body," Hatori began as he looked at Yuki. Something about the way the doctor looked bothered the silver haired boy, just as Tohru's had. "I'm going to give you something that will make you go a bit numb so you won't be able to feel it. This might make you a little drowsy, as well, but this should help you." Hatori gently inserted the needle into his arm, and Yuki slowly started to feel his body go numb. He didn't care about whether that was good or bad, all he cared about was why he was still like this.

As Hatori started putting his thing back in his bag, Tohru shifted over so that Yuki could see her clearly. He saw that her eyes were bright with tears, though she had a smile on her face.

"I'm glad you're awake," she whispered to him, her voice quivering slightly. Yuki wanted to ask her what was wrong, but since he was unable to find his voice, he could only look at her with questioning eyes. Tohru looked over at Hatori, who gave her a tiny nod after looking at the younger boy, and she turned back to Yuki, her smile now fading.

"Yuki-kun," she whispered slowly. "T-The fight, it wasn't fair… you w-were too sick…"

Now he understood. It made perfect sense that he was too sick for it to work out correctly. That's why he felt so ill even though he had lost. Although, it still confused him as to why the curse didn't say even that he had to be somewhat healthy. Talk about unfair.

_So this is it… All that work was for nothing, then. _

Yuki used all the strength he had and squeezed her hand gently to show that everything would be alright, even if it wasn't the truth. It was the only thing he could do now. However, tears started to flow down her face and she tried to blink them away. She didn't want him to see her like this; she wanted him to feel as good as he can before… before the 'curse' ended…

The door then slowly opened and a silver-haired head popped in. Ayame fully entered the room, his face expression undistinguishable. Tohru and Hatori quietly left the room so the two brothers could talk. Ayame knew what kind of condition Yuki was in, since Hatori had told him just before he went in to see if everything was still alright. The Snake kneeled next to Yuki's bed, as the younger boy's eyes wondered to face him.

"Hello dearest brother," Ayame said with a tiny smile. He had never thought that a day would come where he would be in this kind of situation. Never in his life did he contemplate that his younger brother would die before him. Now, he didn't even know what to say; for once, he was completely lost for words. "I-I, um… well, I know that wasn't… really there for you when you were younger. I j-ju..st want to say, I'm sorry. You must really hate me for that, but I didn't mean to do it. If I could take it back, I would." He took a breath to help him even his cracking voice. As odd as it was, Ayame just couldn't find the words he needed to say. Everything was just scrambled in his head. However, he didn't have

"I-I don't… d-don't hate you…" Yuki whispered with slight strain. Though it took him a lot of strength to practically force his voice to be used, he needed to say that. Sure, Yuki almost always got annoyed with Ayame, but he never _hated_ him. They were brothers, after all, and the fact that the snake was trying to make up for all the times he ignored Yuki, made the younger boy appreciate him. Although shocked that Yuki had even said anything, Ayame soon felt a smile cross his face.

"Ah, little brother, let's have some nice quality time together!" Ayame said, and even though he would never be enthusiastic about anything for a while, he wanted to at least brighten up the mood as much as he could. "Should I tell you tales of my high achool years? Those were such joyous occasions!"

_'Oh God'_ Yuki thought, but, as much as he avoided these talks, he didn't mind it now. _'No, I don't mind at all.'

* * *

_

It was now almost midnight, and no one in the Sohma house could do anything but pace around worriedly. Hatori suggested that there was to be one person with Yuki at all times, and Tohru was now sitting next to his bedside, watching as Yuki started up at the ceiling. She hadn't said much since she came in, but they both appreciated the comforting silence. Yuki was just glad she was there with him. He wanted to talk to Tohru, and tell her how much he loved her, but it was hard for him to do so when no sound would come out of his mouth, even after he forced his voice to be used earlier with Ayame.

"Yuki-kun," Tohru's small voice brought him to look away from the ceiling and towards her face. The numbing was starting to go away, and his body ached with pain. However, that didn't stop him from moving around to see Tohru. "I-I wanted to tell you be-before…" Tohru paused, unable to say the word that was floating in her mind: Die. It was such a small word for such a big ordeal. "I love you Yuki-kun, and I always will." Unable to keep the tears in, Tohru covered her face with one hand and started to silently sob.

_'I must look pathetic,_' she thought, but what got her to stop crying was the hand that she felt against her own free hand. Tohru looked down at her hand, then back up to Yuki. He had a sad look in his eyes, but he was smiling, as well. Yuki then took his hand and wiped the one remaining tear away from her eyes. Even though he couldn't speak, Yuki's mind was racing, repeating the words _'I love you' _over and over again. He wanted to kiss her so much, but he was starting to get even weaker. In fact, his whole body not only became weak, but pain shot through him, as if burning hot needles were being jammed into every inch of him. The pain must have showed in his face, as Tohru's eyes widened in fear.

"Yuki-kun, I-I'll get you help," Tohru said reassuringly. As she was about to get up and get Hatori, Yuki reached for her hand.

"T-Tohru," he was barely able to get her name out, as tears from the intense pain filled his eyes. Tears also started filling Tohru's once more, and she held on tightly to Yuki's hand. She could sense that he was in exquisite pain, and she wanted to get help for him, but Yuki didn't want her to go. He could feel the insides of him burn up, and his vision started to get unfocused. Everything that he _could_ see was getting bright, almost too bright for Yuki to even look at.

_'I have to beat this,'_ he thought as he clenched his teeth from the pain. _'I have to… for Tohru, for everyone.' _However, he couldn't help the fact that everything was now getting dark…

"Yuki-kun?" Tohru's voice came through; however, he couldn't help the fact that everything was now getting so dark…

Tohru could feel Yuki's hand go completely limp in her own, and she felt her heart skip a beat. A frightened gasp escaped her lips when she realized that Yuki was dead. She couldn't think clearly, and she started to feel dizzy, but was able to hold her composure. What she couldn't hold were the tears that were coming from her eyes like waterfalls. Tohru just let out all she could; all the pain and sadness she already felt.

Tohru buried her face at the edge of the bed, crying her soul out. She barely heard the door open and hands coming gently down on her shoulders. Every part of her was numb with grief that nothing seemed to come clearly. The only thing she felt was pain, and she wanted it to go away. She wanted everything to be just a dream, and she wanted to wake up the next morning and see Yuki smiling at her like he always did. But deep inside, she knew…Yuki was never going to come back.

* * *

Tohru kneeled down next to Yuki's grave and laid the flowers by the tombstone. It had been only two weeks since he died, yet to Tohru, it seemed so much longer than that. The funeral was full of sobbing people, some family and some from high school. Yuki's fan club also showed, and kept their composure through out the service. Most of it was a blur to Tohru, however. 

"I'll always love you Yuki-kun," Tohru said quietly as she stared at his name on the tombstone. "There will always be a place in my heart for you. Always."

He was always going to be with her wherever she went, and that was what made everything so comforting. She would never forget him in a million years, and she would never want to. As Tohru headed away from the grave, a picture of Yuki smiling flashed through her mind and she, too, gave a smile back.

_Fin

* * *

_

**Author's Note:** Ahaha, I finished in less than a week! I know I said that I'd have it up between 2-3 days, but the 4th day is good enough. Yes, I'm aware that it says it's the 18th, but it's 2:30 AM now so, Saturday is still here for me! Anyways, first off, when Akito said "Isn't it March?" He's telling how Yuki was now 18 ½ and that he was going to die (I read that Yuki was a Virgo like me mwahaha so yeah, March would be at that point of… death).

Well, I can't believe I actually did it! To be honest, I almost chose to write this as the official ending. However, I was about to start, and I just couldn't. I never killed off a character. Ever (well, until _now_). Truthfully, I really almost cried because I'm just that sensitive XD It's normal. And now, my last reviewers-answering-thing:

**inu-yuki lover100**- I'm actually going to post a new Fruits Basket story in a few days, it's not completely Yukiru but it's hinted that they're together. Thank you so much for the review!

**crimsonsun37**- I agree, the scene was awkward, I didn't explain much about the whole thing T.T I'm bad at endings lol. We'll just say as he left the house, an anvil dropped on his head mwahaha. Well, thanks so much for the review!

**sanka**- I agree with you on so many levels it's not even funny (well, maybe XD). When I finished that chapter, I thought it felt so out of place and, I don't know, weird. But I had to put it up, because I hadn't updated in almost 2 weeks and after I posted it, I refused to read it .;; I didn't mean to make Shigure afraid of Akito O.o. I worked on the thing with the second paper for days because I didn't know what to exactly do. And I'm pretty bad at endings, I'm sorry .;; Hopefully this one is better, since this was the plan from the beginning. Thanks for your reviews.

**MegTao****-** Thanks you so, so much for the review! I'll be posting another Fruits Basket fanfic in a few days, and I'm working on 2 others. And I'll definitely read your story ASAP XD

**Yugata Tenshi****-** It was fast wasn't it .;; I love writing things with Ayame, he's fun to use (and we're similar, as scary as _that_ is lol). Thanks so much for the comment!

**whiterose-kiss-** Ah, I've been to one of those computer places, but I couldn't get on (it was confusing O.O) But they can be helpful! Hopefully this chapter-ending-thing has a bit more Yukiru, because that couple rocks XD Thanks for the comment!

**MisstressSango01****-** Hmm, sequel… I'm not sure I will. I don't know what I would write, and I'd get lazy on it (haha, hopefully I wouldn't XD) I'm sure your story is good, I'll have to check it out as soon as I find time in the day (I'm loaded with things to do XP). Thanks so much for the nice review!

**White Haru Sohma****-** I love your new penname (and old, too, mine's all weird lol) XD Haru is the best (…er, one of them at least) Hoipe you liked the alternate ending! And I'm going to be posting a new Fruits Basket story in a few days, and I'm working on two more, maybe three if I get the courage to put it up (it's an AU one XD) Thanks so much for your reviews!

Like I said, if anyone has questions, just Email me (address is on my main page by the penname and all that) Thanks for all the reviews, I've never had over 100 O.O Let's get to 150 XD! Well, I'll be posting a Fruits Basket story in a few days, slight Yukiru hinting, but it focuses on _the brother-ness_ mwahaha! On one last note: Yukiru is an awesome couple, and Yuki's pretty darn sexy. See you in the next story XD


End file.
